TimLoraKatRyan

Updates

2010-11-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

Kathryn - Not much has changed with her. She can write every letter of the alphabet in upper case, but we are working on lower case. While she has been practicing her letters, we have been working on spelling/reading. I should admit that very little work has been done in this department. I still have 9 months to get her to learn to read...we will see! Adding is something she started doing on her own. I was surprised and delighted by this. She is still singing and happy just about all the time!

Ryan - Major changes have occurred with him. He no longer has any food issues and his bowels have somewhat resolved itself. He is walking, talking, laughing and is so much fun! It is amazing how in 12 months so many things have changed. He went from being a squirming fussy baby to who he is now! Ryan's vocabulary includes the following; Up Down!, Mom, Dad, Sissy, that, woof woof, hello, hi, awe. Some are obvious, but others need the trained ears to know. Either way, it counts by my standards.

Tim - School is going well. Through Swords to Plowshares, a non-profit organization for ex-military personnel, Tim enrolled and completed a course for Solar Panel Installation. With this certification, he can also assess homes and find ways to make them more energy efficient. We are hoping that at the end of this semester he will be placed in a job and could take a few Fire Science courses in the evenings or no school at all. Time will tell!

Lora - New job. I was working for a food manufacturing company and got laid off along with four others as they needed to pay for an expensive piece of machinery. I guess technically it was a temporary position; so goodbye 35 minute commute. The job that I now have is with Bank of the West. It is a little over two miles from my home and so far, so good. I only just completed my training, so the real fun should begin tomorrow. I am taking a very large pay cut for this position, so I hope to grow quickly. Go figure, after I accept this job I get two job offers. One was today with the City of Brentwood. Why do things like this happen? I ended up with two days off between these two jobs, so if I held out a little longer I could be working a temporary position elsewhere??? I really hope I made the right decision and I feel as though I have! We found a new babysitter who is closer and much better with the kids. That was a huge relief!

House - it is still in need of work here and there, but all houses do, right? Our furniture was mostly all free and in need of upgrading, but I don't really care too much to upgrade at this point. I would rather establish our savings account again and have fun with the kids than worry about how nice my things are or how well it is (or is not) decorated for the seasons. Do not get me wrong, I love houses that are decorated well but they leave me feeling like a failure and it seems like it is one of the complaints I hear from my kids...well, Kat more specifically.

Halloween - we had a blast and so did the kids. Tim's parents came out on Halloween day and my parents were here for Trunk or Treat Halloween Eve. It was a fun and sweet-filled two days.

Birthdays!

2010-10-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

On September 28th Ryan had his first Birthday. Well, I guess technically his second, the day of his birth could be considered his first birth-day, right? In any case, he is a happy little man who is growing so quickly, smiles non-stop, giggles at everything (especially his sister), and is an absolute joy. I love smothering him with kisses because he does not mind a bit but often kisses me. Not all boys kiss their mothers, but mine happily does!

Last week Ms. Kathryn turned four years old! Kathryn is changing into a beautiful young lady. I know, she is only four, but she really is seeming more like a lady. Dinner time is a very different story, still like a baby in that department, but she will eat anything! I love that about her. She is adventurous, creative, a bit manipulative at times, independent, a best friend, compassionate and very cheerful. I love my little lady...don't tell her I called her that - she insists on being a kid not a lady! Too cute.

(there are more pictures of Ryan than Kat and that is my camera's fault. For whatever reason most of the pictures we took are really bad. None of our pictures from her birthday turned out. I am so bummed!)

Working Mom

2010-10-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of adjustments that need to be made when transitioning from Stay-at-Home Mom to Goes-to-Work Mom.

I have missed work, so I am happy to be working again but I miss the kids a lot more than I thought I would.

For starters, my job is part-time. I am currently working three days a week in Livermore for a great company that sells products I believe in. That helps me a lot as I am on the Sales Team. The first 4 weeks I went to various Costco's in the Bay Area promoting our products, cooking and sampling them. It was great (at two locations) and very trying at the other two...some people! I do not know how they have jobs when there are more than enough qualified people out there trying. The reason I say this is because they are LAZY. I do not want to get into all that; I still find it exhausting a month later!

That portion of my job was full-time and there was a bit of traveling, but seeing as I was in the Bay Area, it was not too far. I am much more comfortable working 9.5 hours a day (including traveling), three days a week as opposed to the 14 hours a day I was working (again with travel time included). Ugh. I learned a lot, though, which helps me in the position I am in now!

My position requires me to travel occasionally and I think I will do well in the Sales Department. I do most of the "behind the scenes" work at this point but the true test is coming up shortly. November 1-3 I have to sell my heart out! I hope I do well.

Thank you to everyone who said such kind things or tried to get me in contact with someone. I appreciate it tremendously.

Hire Me! Now! Please!

2010-08-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Do you know someone who is looking for a Receptionist, Account Manager, HR Assistant, Office Assistant or similar? They do not need to look any further (as long as their office is in the Bay Area)!

That is correct - I am going back to work and it is competitive! I have applied for 45 positions in the past two and a half weeks. I have only had one interview. At that interview, we were scheduled every 20 minutes or less. I saw a total of seven people there. However, the interviewer said I was at the top of his list. They are still interviewing for the position but when I called last week he said I was still up there at the top. We will see!

At another location when I dropped off my application, again over seven people in a fifteen minute time frame.

The irritating part is that I know I am good at what I do. That may sound like I am not modest but this is the one aspect of me where I do feel confident. I am hard working, keep myself very busy, detailed, accurate, punctual, professional, upbeat, friendly and just plain awesome.

So, if you know of anyone that is looking for someone like me, please send me their contact information so I can send them my resume.

I would greatly appreciate it!

Rachael Ostlund Carlin

2010-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

In May, Kat and I were in Rachael and Eddie's wedding. Kat was adoralbe and so excited to be Rachie's Flowergirl. Kat did a good job sprinkling the flowers....at the very end! Silly girl!

Here are some pictures from the day. Enjoy.

Congrats again, Rachie!

June Updates, Videos and Pictures

2010-06-25T17:20:00.002-07:00

June has been a fun month for us. With Father's Day and the Alameda County Fair, our front porch, our back patio, our pool, etc., things are going very well.

Ryan - This boy has changed a lot! He is going blond! He is crawling up everything including the stairs and all large toys. His crawling is still more of a scoot, however, he is very fast. Tim and I are awed as he seems to have crawled the length of the floor in under a minute! Ryan is also standing up pretty well and climbing the steps! It is scary but great to see him grow.
He is also extremely happy. Ryan laughs all the time. I do not know if everything is funny to him or if he is just that happy! Clapping is his newest joy. He has a lot of pride with his newfound ability. While he is still clearly a Momma's Boy, he accepts the company of others much better these days.
Sleeping is fantastic lately! Like his cousin, Houston, Ryan is sleeping through the night but has the occasional hiccup at 4 am when he forgets to continue sleeping.
Potty Time has been great. Ryan claps his hands when he is all done going potty on the toilet and loves it when we clap for him. He is so cute and getting so big!
The day before Father's Day I gave Ryan his first haircut. It still needs more trimmed off, but he is quite squirmy so I had to quit. It was needed, however, as it started to resemble a mullet. I had one as a child for several years so my kids are prohibited from having one!

Kat - She is adorable. A friend of ours has two daughters older than Kat who dance and Kat was the recipient of most of their recital dresses. She was so happy! I was so happy!
Kat loves to tell stories. Every morning it is story time about a "dream" or something she learned at Church. Lately the church story of choice is David and Goliath.
Rhymes. "Kat and Bat rhyme!" I hear remarks like this throughout the day. She is so proud (as are Tim and I) of her new-found ability. She also sounds out words to figure what letter they start with. She is getting ready to read...a little more time and she will be there!
Kat adores her brother more than ever. The two of them will play on the floor for long periods of time without either getting upset. It is wonderful.

Tim - Tim entered his Pez collection in the Alameda County Fair. He won first place in his division...so first of four. Kat was very excited to see her Pez that Daddy had given her with Daddy's on display. A special Thank You to Marin for letting us borrow two of her princess'.

Lora - I still love Thai food. So does the rest of the family. Ryan had his first taste of tofu and loved it. Kat loved eating everything we had. I love that she loves so many different kinds of food and is willing to try anything. She is amazing! Oh, I guess this is supposed to be my section...hmmm. I do not know what to say. I am the same. I still wear glasses and they still break on me all the time. Oh, and this year I started a book club. This made both my mom and Tim very excited because they have been teaming up to get me to read more. The problem was, the books I tried to read I did not enjoy. I guess I am picky. The book I recommend more than any other is The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It may have a funny title but the book is outstanding!

House - Work, work, work. This time we are not the ones doing the work. Tim and I have no experience with concrete and most certainly do not trust our ability, or lack thereof, to do such a task. Last week the concrete was poured out front and back to give us a nice front patio and back patio. We are so excited and cannot wait for the rest of the yard to be done (maybe a week or two and we will be set!). Also, we have decided that Brentwood is hot (duh) and therefore we need a pool. By all means, not an underground expensive one, but an above ground pool. We cannot wait! As for the interior - things are always changing and needing touch-ups, but one day we will be done. We still love it so much so we prefer not to leave. It feels good to be home.

Events - The Alameda County Fair is a tradition in my family, more specifically the horse races. Since my dad was a little boy he would sit in the same box seats we sit in now. It is now a four (or maybe five) generation tradition. I love it because you do not have to gamble to have a good time there. We love to see the horses, feel the excitement and enter the drawings. Last year I was called up to enter the putting contest. I did not do well at all - I landed the ball nine feet past the hole. This year Tim was called up and he putted three feet short of the hole. Some say my put was better because at least I made it to the hole while others say Tim did better because he was closer than I was. So, to the both of us, we each did better than the other! We will see if any of us will win the $300 drawing this year.

Father's Day - This Father's Day was a good one. In all honesty I wish it was on a Saturday and each Father had his own reserved day within our family. For instance Tim could celebrate on Saturday, his dad on Sunday and my dad on a different day. That is just me. With Church at 9:00 in the am it is difficult to get the kids and celebrated daddy ready, fed, awake enough and to church on time for Kat to sing. After church we went to his parents' house for our family gathering. We love getting together with his family and adore each of them. They are lots of fun and great people. It was a busy Father's Day, but a fun day nonetheless.

Here are some fun videos. There is one on Tim's phone but I am unsure how to get it on here without paying to use the Internet on our phone...

Kat was on Stage at the Fair as a horse. She was called up to say her name and dance. She was too cute and very uncoordinated.

In this video, Ryan was only two days into his crawling stage. He still crawls very similar to this but a bit more efficient and quicker.

Here, Ryan is climbing up his garage toy. He climbs up everything. This was a few weeks ago, so now he is more more efficient.

Ryan's first time in the pool was at my parents' community pool. It was a bit chilly and we did not have our swim gear so Ryan went in the buff. Kat found a friend and tagged along for a ride. Poor thing.

Updates

2010-06-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

Kat Doing the Dishes

Oops - Kat With Her Cherries

Tim and The Fallen Tree

Anne on Mother's Day with Ryan and Houston

Kat Kissing Houston Goodbye Before They Move to Utah

Ryan and Houston

Ryan and Kat in the Costco Shopping Cart (this makes life so much easier)

Mother's Day

It was wonderful. Tim woke early and made us a wonderful breakfast. Because we stayed at his parents' place the night prior we all ate breakfast together. We went to Church with his family and after rode to Pleasanton to visit my family. It was very fun and relaxing with my family. Once again, we made our way back to Alameda to spend time with Tim's side. His Aunt hosted our bi-monthly family gathering and it was a blast. The family was amazed at Ryan and his ability to sit-up. For some odd reason, I had neglected to tell everyone of his new talent. Mother's Day was just as it should be - fun, full of family, good food and smiles all around.

I love my moms. (I say moms because of my mother, my mom-in-law and all the women who were very motherly to me growing up) They are amazing women for very different reasons but a great example of who I strive to be like. I am grateful for all they have done and put up with thus far. I thoroughly enjoy their company and comfort.

Being a mother is very difficult but the most rewarding thing I have done. I enjoy Kat at this age and her new personality. It is no longer constant crying but hugs and kisses. I adore her and feel that it is mutual. Ryan is constantly showing me how much he loves me. If it is not the looks of love, it is the kisses or hugs or giggles of delight in the simple things. I love my two adorable kids and am blessed to have them!

Easter

Easter was great. Any time we get together with family is a good time. Kat demonstrated her lack of egg hunting ability this day which made the hunt humorous. I did not know that was possible. We enjoyed seeing all the families and had such a great time!

Allergies

I re-introduced rice to Ryan. He had a rash again but not nearly as bad as before. A week later I gave him more. Again, small rash but yet even smaller than the previous contact. By the third time I said - Yeah, he is over it. Rice is good now! What a relief! The seasonal allergies are still there and going stronger than ever. I forgot to give him his allergy medicine two days in a row and boy did I pay for it!

House

We rid the front of our annoying tree. This tree was too close to the house, grew and dropped millions of rotten berries. The berries smell rancid (because they are) sending breezes of putrid air into the house and of course the berries are great hitchhikers. They would fit perfectly under a shoe and make its way into the house. yuck. I am so thrilled it is gone!

Teeth!

Ryan has several teeth where you can see the tips breaking through. He has two teeth that popped out at 6 months. Now he has four more that are so close to popping out as well. I am a little scared considering I am nursing. Kat bit me once, I flicked her nose and she did not do it again. We will see if Ryan gets the flick as well.

Potty Training

Many of you know how I potty train. Unknown to me, my mother had done the same with me and my brothers. What I do is put them on the potty as soon as they can hold their heads up comfortably - around 5 months. Ryan was not as good as Kat that early on. I can read the "poop face" and know it is time, rush them to the potty and have success. Ryan would refuse to perform until a few days ago! Yesterday he had no dirty diapers aside from the one he woke up with and two flushes in the potty! Yeah!!! We do an excited happy celebration dance afterward where we sing and praise Ryan for going in the potty! Kat loves it. She loves her brother and adores him to no end.

Cherry Picking (for whatever reason it is refusing to center)

My cousin, Jodi and her daughter came out last week to go Cherry Picking here in Brentwood. Last year I had read several friends' blogs about such outings. I figured now that I live here, I should participate. We went to one of the farms closest to our house. Despite the wet weather prediction, it was hot outside and dry. So much so that later we went to a water park and cooled off a little bit. Picking cherries was a lot of fun and according to the farmer the day we went was one of the best because the cherries were at their best. They were delicious. Ryan begged for more but I was concerned about the effect they would have on his belly. I am glad I went and look forward to going again someday.

Ryan Started Crawling Yesterday!

2010-05-13T09:35:00.001-07:00

It is so cute to see him try and try again to get the toy a few feet in front of him. He usually ended up scooting backwards, but not yesterday. It all started with him trying to get to Kat. I had him standing and he was getting frustrated not being able to move forward to get to her. After a minute or so, he put one foot in front of the other, transferred his weight and walked to her. After that something clicked.

A while later I had him on the floor and his play keys were out of reach. He crawled to them! He got up on all fours, rocked back and forth and was able to move one knee out in front, and rock forward until he was on his chest about an inch farther than he was before. He did this over and over again until he got what he wanted.

Silly me - instead of putting the toy out farther to get him to learn what he was doing and establish some muscle memory, I ran for the camera instead. It took him another few hours before he did it again but this time, I did not rush with the camera knowing I would have plenty of opportunities to film him. It is so cute and fun to see the joy on his face along with the determination and concentration.

Kat was a doll throughout the whole process. She would stand near him and talk in her baby-friendly voice in an attempt to get him to drop his toy and come to her instead. More and more she is getting excited about sharing attention with her brother. She loves him so much.

Allergies

2010-04-09T21:47:00.005-07:00

Ryan is allergic to....RICE! Of all things - it has to be the first thing we fed him (well, to be honest it was more like the 5th thing because I could not hold back with a taste here and there)...but as a meal, rice was the first.

I took Ryan to the Dr a few days after we started feeding him solids to have his rash looked at. The Dr said it was an irritation; not allergies, so I ignored the rash. A month later when we took him for his 6 month check up the Dr said it was allergies; either seasonal or food. Reflecting on the beginning stages of the rashes I decided it must be one of the first things he started eating - rice or oatmeal. Either way, that is no fun at all!

After giving him allergy medicine, waiting for the rash to disappear, taking him off the allergy medicine it was time to try solids again. I gave him his first dose of food today and it was rice. Ryan now has a puffy red rash on his face where the food was and he is a bit more congested than normal. Bummer! I love rice so I feel for him.

We still have to take things slowly and make certain there was not additional food he is allergic to. My poor baby - I feel like there is always something wrong!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-04-09T21:47:00.003-07:00

2005 in Washington State while we were dating

My husband is so thoughtful, kind, romantic, fun, and just wonderful! For three months he planned our weekend getaway together. Tim took me shopping for a new dress (said I needed a new one for Church, which I more than do), shoes to match, and told me not to plan anything conference weekend because we were going to his parents' place. I did not realize that it was not for those reasons but for our five year anniversary celebration.

Tim kept everything a secret: the trips to San Francisco to buy the tickets, then change them after something I said, the outfit for him, etc. He did such a good job - for two months I had no idea he was planning anything!

He knew that we needed it - we had not gone on a date since before Ryan was born, since before we bought the house (9 months ago)! Our first anniversary we did manage to celebrate with a couple's massage and a romantic weekend getaway in Portland. Our second and third and forth were not forgotten or ignored, but nothing out of the ordinary was done to make it special.

A month before the event Tim only told me that it was in the City, we were going to be dressed up in "costumes" which he had and was not allowed to see, we would be leaving the kids overnight (meaning I needed to start pumping milk asap) and that it would be fun.

Well, the day of the event comes and that is still all I know. On the way, I look at the tickets to find out - but I was still clueless. I had no idea what Teatro ZinZanni was! When we got there (with no less than two minutes to spare thanks to mad traffic - yeah BART) I was in heaven. Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies and it was like walking onto a set from the movie in a tent.

The performers were amazing and hilarious. I could go into great detail about the different performances but that would bore some of you so I will refrain. The food was great - I had a blast! Tim loved it as well. We dance, cried tears of laughter, our faces were sore from all the smiling - it was perfect. I love that Tim knows me so well and would know what would make me fall even more in love with him! Thank you thank you thank you sweetheart!

Ryan is 6 Months, Kat is 3 Years, 6 Months

2010-04-09T21:47:00.001-07:00

Well...Ryan is (was) six months old and cuter than ever before. He has not started sitting on his own for extended periods of time or started crawling (although he is clearly thinking about it) but laughs and smiles endlessly. If I had to choose between a happy baby and a super advanced baby I would choose Ryan the way he is.

While sitting in his bouncy seat (the kind that reclines, a few inches off the ground - not the big apparatus with music and a rotating play station) he will sit up, lean to the side and pick items off the ground - or try at least. He is amazing. Amazingly happy and addicting.

Ryan has a bad case of allergies out here but the few medicines we have tried are failing us. For me, I do not like taking medicine so I am torn...well come to find out it is better for me to medicate Ryan in this area because he will later develop a sinus infection (at seven and a half months). Nonetheless I have been medicating him since the Dr. recommended it and to no avail.

At Seven months Ryan is starting to sit up much better on his own. He works things around in his hands magnificently bringing tears of pride to my eyes. He lets me know when he wants me to tickle him or break up his sounds by placing my hands over his month, bouncing him or patting him on the back. What a momma's boy - he kisses me all the time. You know the kind - big open mouth showing me his two bottom teeth.

That is right - he has two teeth. At six and a half month those two teeth were out and proud. Fortunately for me, the upper teeth have not come in so he cannot bite me just yet! Caution should be given to those who have fingers suckered into his mouth - the teeth hurt!

Kat is brilliant, a crier, animated and energetic. So, not much has changed in the last posts. I suppose I should add beauty to the list. She already has a way with boys.

Ryan 4 & 5 Months

2010-02-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

Ryan is an amazing baby. He is a lot like his sister...stubborn sleeper, food enthusiast, happy when ill, loves attention, eager to stand, walk, talk, etc. Both kids are great and fairly easy.

Although Ryan was pretty ill this past month, he was still amazing throughout. He was able to smile at least once every day and made me know how much he loves me. I adore him to no end.

It is amazing how babies can communicate. Often times I dance with my kids and Kat can ask but Ryan cannot. Ryan does tell me in ways and maybe it is my imagination but a few times he has held out his hand where I would normally hold his while dancing and wait grinning at me. I accepted (I do not know if I would ever decline) and his face lit up, legs started kicking like crazy and then came the giggles. I love being able to do something so small but yet it fills him with so much joy.

We started Ryan on solid foods at 5 months. I am glad we waited because reflecting on our first feeding with Kat he surpassed her in skill by quite the distance. Kat was only four months when we started with her and we could not have been more anxious. The anxiety was there with Ryan but for some reason I felt perfectly content to wait...and it is not because I would miss breastfeeding him exclusively. Ryan is a painfully slow drinker of my milk. Now that he is not ill, the duration has gone down dramatically - and I really mean it - from an hour and forty minutes to twenty. Yes, and when he was feeding for that long, I was at it again in another hour and a half to two. I am glad those days are behind me.

Today (March 12) was the first day Ryan had successfully rolled over completely on his own. He had come so close several times (really every attempt) but his arm would always get in the way. Something clicked and he just got and completed the roll. He stayed one his forearms for a minute and rolled back over. He did not like that very much because he forgot how easy that was and put a little too much strength behind it resulting in a rather abrupt landing.

As for crawling - I cannot remember when they are supposed to be trying or even thinking about it, but Ryan is. A lot of the time when he is on his belly, his behind starts pulling to the sky and his legs scoot under but all that seems to accomplish is a lack of balance. Adorable nonetheless.

Ryan LOVES his sister. She could be talking or singing or simply sitting there and he can't help but smile to where his eyes squint, kicks his legs with enthusiasm and tries to get to her or touch her. If he was crying and Kat started, he would stop and listen for her. Could he be concerned for her? I can only assume so.

There are times where I feel inept as a Mom. I see so many other women who are far more patient, understanding, fun, and nurturing than I. However,I am beginning to feel as though the teen-age or pre-teen days are going to be the best years for me as a mother. I hope to be a friend with authority to my kids while at the same time compassionate and firm. I refuse to be strict but we will see...I may be completely wrong.

Smarty Little Kit Kat

2010-02-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

The center piece of paper is the one referenced below.

I also loved her "lamp with arms"

Since we have been trapped indoors for the past week, I decided to turn most of the days into arts and crafts days with an hour dedicated to "homework" as Kat calls it. A few months ago when I was picking up Kat from Primary, their teacher gave them an assignment to complete and turn in the following Sunday. I said, "Oh, yeah! Kat, your first homework assignment!" and from then on she has been excited to do her homework assignments. (The assignment was to draw a self portrait).

For our Preschool with Mommy, I am teaching Kat what sounds letters make and how to write them. She has known her letters really well for some time now and so I decided to take it to the next level. She had done really well with writing the letters - better than I would ever imagine! Today was our first "day off" from official practicing but Kat decided to practice on her own. We had been working on spelling her name the yesterday and so on her own, she did it! The funny thing is, I had no idea she had done so until I was cleaning up the table after the kids had gone to sleep. There was one paper in particular that blew me away. Her numbers looked great and I could see where she was practicing the letter K diligently. Most of the papers she doodled on were letter K attempts.

I am so proud of her and for her trying and wanting to learn, doing it all on her own and having fun. I could not have been more happy at that moment when I saw her name written down by herself! She is adorable!

On her magnadoodle, we had helped her write her name. This is the first time she had ever done it by herself. The second picture is her family portrait - we are wearing pajamas. Too cute!

Valentines in the Hospital....we are finally home

2010-02-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day? Not really. We were all ill and so we tried to sleep in as best as possible. When we did awake we all headed downstairs for breakfast. I wanted to make something nice for everyone especially since Tim and I decided not to do gifts.

Tim surprised me, however. He had made hand-dipped strawberries and they were fantastic. I ended up eating six before breakfast started. I made pancakes, waffles and eggs for everyone and Tim made SPAM for himself (I do not like that stuff and can't cook it because of its nasty smell).

Kat got her gift which was waiting downstairs by the stairs - her very own slippers! The floor is cold, especially in the morning and is known for creating holes in socks, so the gift was perfect. Tim had gone out the night before shopping for her. I think he did a fantastic job!

Unfortunately as the day progressed so did Ryan's illness. He was sleeping the whole day, not responsive, whimpering non-stop and seeming very unhappy. I could not get him to laugh or smile even. His temperature was going up and Tylenol was keeping it down, but it was still 101 degrees. Green mucus was coming out of his eyes and we were getting increasingly concerned.

I called the advice nurse and she said not to worry about the green in his eyes or his temperature - not to give him Tylenol because he does not have a fever (yes he does!) and sleeping is what babies do! Well, shortly after that annoying conversation he started vomiting. Tim and I decided he needed to go to Urgent Care which closed in a half hour to get him looked at.

They saw that he was definitely sick and needed to go to the Emergency Room. They gave him a shot for his bilateral ear infections and sent us rushing to the hospital. At the hospital they tried desperately to give him and IV, but failed four times. They were thinking he had meningitis, so they did a spinal tap, urine analysis (collected by use of a catheter), chest x-ray, and blood drawn. After all that, they admitted us to the Hospital and told us we would be there for at least two days because that is how long it takes to get the results.

Two days later all tests come back negative. They were still very concerned so we stayed for observation and more tests until Thursday. The final ruling was a very bad viral infection and two ear infections.

Tim is now ill, Kat is recovering from her ear infections and I am over my illness mostly but extremely paranoid about getting ill again...or Ryan, or Kat or Tim.

Cousins!

2010-01-16T14:54:00.001-08:00

Houston (L), and Ryan (R)

Ryan and Houston are 11 days apart and not too different from one another, but what three month babies are going to be drastically different when cousins?

Ryan and Houston are the same height, hands are the same size - Ryan has a larger palm while Houston has longer fingers, they both have dark hair and while Ryan is clearly the winner for the balding boy, Houston has started creating a lovely bald spot! You get the idea - they both sleep relatively well at night, smile, laugh, etc.

The differences are funny - Ryan moves constantly, he loves his fists more, has much larger ears, or ears that stick out a lot more. etc.

Preschool

2010-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

I love her pose!

I have joined a co-op preschool for Kat. She lacks the socialization and I lack the funding for a preschool. While I would prefer it to be more scolastic-based, this is far better than not having her in school. The kids meet once a week for two hours. There are five kids and they are all in Sunbeams together, too, so they are getting to know one another better.

She is having fun and learning that kids to not play the way she does. All things take time and I an certain she will be just fine!

New Addition to the Family

2010-01-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

The last few months we have had a few additions to the family on Tim's side. First was Ryan, born September 28, next is his cousin Houston born 11 days later. The newest addition is Troy, 4, who was added to our family last Friday.

Tim's sister and brother-in-law adopted a four-year-old boy on Friday. He is adorable, very smart and the happiest boy. I could not think of a better place for any child to go than with Tim's family. Marin is very excited about her brother and has been patiently waiting for a sibling for some years. I cannot express how excited we are for them to have a new family member.

We have yet to meet him, but already love him!

Ryan at 3 Months

2010-01-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ryan...what a doll! Babies cannot get any more handsome, adorable or happy than my little man. He has always been very easy so I am very blessed. We have had a few concerns with him but are constantly reassured by the doctors and nurses that it is normal and he is fine! Being his Mom, I want for them to be right, but can't help thinking they may be wrong.

His issues is potty related. He was producing very normal breastfed baby poops until one day they were painful and green. Green is normal and the pain is because of the stomach bile burning his skin. Now he produces a movement every 3-5 days with the help of 3 ounces of apple juice. I just do not get what is going on. The thing that makes me concerned is the fact that it used to be normal and my diet changed at one point and now I am back to eating all the things I ate before.

Anyone with advice? Think I should take him back in and get him checked out again?

Aside from that, he is happy, grabs everything in site, loves his sister, strains his neck to see her or me, is a complete mamma's boy and now will not drink from a bottle unless it is apple juice. He has a lot of personality and I know him so well. I know how he loves his bath, how he likes to be held, how to talk to him, get him to laugh, get him to smile, etc. I love being a mom! I love my "Little Man"!

pictures to come

Christmas

2010-01-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was exceptionally wonderful. To start off, we had completed a lot of our shopping way in advance (a few days after Thanksgiving). This made it a lot easier to do what we wanted and be less stressed for the weeks to come.

Our decorations were...hmm, how do I put this - lame. What we have is little and in this house it is even more minute looking. Nonetheless, we popped popcorn , listened to music, and spent an hour or so decorating the Christmas tree, taking out other decorations and going to town on two rooms downstairs. I admit, it is perfectly fine with me not having a lot of decorations; less to store, less to clean up and less to be bothered by. I am a bit envious of a lot of our neighbors and family members with their pristine homes and how they decorate, the themes and general adorableness, but I find myself with a bit of envy occasionally...

Kat had a blast and Ryan seemed indifferent to the whole thing. Tim and I really enjoyed decorating together and with Kat: we find that she can make a lot of things more memorable or fun with her interesting quotes and dance moves.

The day before Christmas was our (apparently) annual Cooper Family Variety/Talent Show. My sister-in-law wanted us all to participate last year, which we did, and had a good time doing it. Another bit of honesty: Tim and I do not look forward to this even as do other family members because our "talents" are not one that we can think of easily or demonstrate. For instance, I do not think people would find it interesting how I organize things or clean things acutely detailed. Yet, thanks to Tim, we put on a skit and it was a blast. So while I really do enjoy the Shows, I get anxious leading up to them. I still would like to impress my in-laws, however silly that may be, so I do try and make myself at least look good in front of them although I am still myself whenever I am around them.

Christmas Eve was wonderful. Every year we have a gift exchange and they are somewhat hectic, the rules change every year and while it is fun, it takes a painfully long time. What we did this year was Tim's idea and it worked out really well. Instead of stealing a gift once or three times in game; we played that each gift can be stolen once a round. Each time someones number was called to either open a new gift or steal was the beginning of a new round. It was SOOO much more fun, quicker and easier.

Ryan's blessing was also on this day and a great memory. Kat was blessed at his parents' ward Christmas Eve, and it is a very fitting time of year to do such a thing. People all had their desires for when we would do the blessing - can be this Sunday, but not that, oh, but so-and-so cannot make it to this other Sunday...bla bla bla. Trying to make it so everyone could be involved I asked Tim if we could just do it at home and have it when everyone was going to be in town. Sure enough, we can! We told the family what day it was and that was that.

Christmas day was great as well. We all had a blast. Santa came this year and gave Kat gifts which I am pretty sure she likes due to the fact that she is still playing with them every day! I just love being with family and that is really what a lot of these three days was filled with. After spending most of Christmas day with Tim's side, we headed into Pleasanton to visit my parents. At 2:00 that day, they had arrived at home from their trip to Croatia and Bosnia. They had fun but were very very tired when we saw them. Because of that, we left their house and went to Tim's Aunt and Uncle's to play more games with the family. We just could not get enough!

We stayed in Alameda for a few more days, took a wonderful walk to try and burn some of those Christmas calories and stop feeling so lazy. Tim went to a 49er game with his family and had the best time. In fact he came back with what could barely pass for a voice.

I love Christmas time for all the fun we have, for spending endless amounts of time with family, for feeling the Christmas Spirit and coming closer to the ones we love. Next year I would like to do more concerning the people who do not have a lot or who would need a form of encouragement. I hope I remember that for next year and do not stress out like I did this year!

As for New Years - we had one? Seriously, I do not feel any different now that it is 2010. Tim and I went to bed early because with the little ones waking constantly in the night (Tim with Kat and me with Ryan) sleep has become something we really like to get when we can. That being said, Happy New Years!
(pictures to come)

Car Accident Update

2009-11-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

I picked up the police report yesterday and guess who was found at fault?! I WAS! I read the report and in it he said that he was 50% into his lane change when I hit him, so he honked his horn to get me to back away, but I did not. Yeah, well, I cannot see how he honked his horn at time of impact if he did not even know I was there! Hello! Oh, and get this - the officer did not record the statement I gave him accurately. What a moron!

I am so mad and angry and do not know what to do. My insurance said they were going to continue with the investigation and what the offer believes may not be what is determined accurate. I suppose I should have lied knowing he would, but I put more faith in someone who admitted fault to us without the officer there. I am glad I told the truth 100%, but things like this make me feel as though there are times when it is better to not tell the truth.

On top of that, they found more damage to the car and now it is going to take till Thanksgiving for me to get my car back. Yikes.

Kat the Hillarious

2009-11-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

Kat is always making me laugh. For instance, the face she makes before she cries gets me laughing every time! Well, this time, she said she wanted to go downstairs to do some artwork. After a while she came up to me and asked if she could fill a cup with water to paint. Yeah, that was not going to happen without me there by her side. I had to tell her no, but she did not seem to mind.

After a few more minutes, Kat made her way upstairs and this is the face I saw (granted, she had also gotten into our pantry and put the top to our popcorn maker on her head as a hat). She said, "What?! Don't laugh at my hat!" The hat was only one small reason as to why I was laughing. I guess she has taken good notes when she sits by my and we do make-up together.

Ryan Update

2009-11-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Ryan has me trained. I know when he is being stubborn, his schedule, his different cries, and so on. For starters, at night we have a good semi-routine. He wakes up and does not cry, but rather is restless which wakes me up. I change him, feed him, burp him, set him back in bed and we both go back to sleep. In about 3-6 hours, he will do it again and again until about 7:30 am. At this time only him and I are awake usually and he and I talk to each other, smile a lot and bond. I love this time we have together.

As for car rides, he is ok getting strapped in and within 15 minutes he is hysterical. I will drive a mile or less, pull over, take Ryan out, hug him to the point of satisfaction, put him in and we are fine the rest of the way.

There are times when he has been awake for several hours and he just will not give in. I know that I cannot feed him to sleep at this point because he will wake up soon expecting food. There is nothing but spit up that results from this. Basically I need to rock or walk him to sleep, knowing he will cry for a while but then he is in a deep sleep and we are all happy!

Ryan loves his sister already. There are times when he hears her voice and he will smile and look for her. Kat loves it and tries to make him happy by putting his blanket on him, giving kisses, singing to him when he is upset, or rocking him. She is a wonderful big sister!

Car Accident

2009-11-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

On Monday I was driving Tim to school via 580 due to Vasco's closure when I was creamed by a truck pulling a trailer. Lame! Tim missed his class, Ryan almost missed his appointment and we were an hour late to dinner with my parents.

THE STORY: I was driving down 580 headed east, just past the Hacienda exit when we decided to change lanes to the right because traffic was moving much quicker. I changed one lane successfully and decided to change one more lane. I looked to my right, saw that I had a big opening, turned on my blinker, checked again both in the mirrors and over my shoulder. Tim was sitting next to me and said that I was clear, so I started making the change. Well about 85% into the lane change, we see a truck pulling a trailer very close to the right side of my car. Tim shouted, "Oh, Lora, look out!" I noticed I still had a safe distance between me and the car behind us, so I stepped on the brakes, but the truck was moving fast and pulling hard to his left. I swerved the car to the left as far as possible but there was a semi truck there, so I am not about to hit that! Therefore, I was stuck and struck!

So, I am mad and upset and irritated, but the driver does not seem to notice that he hit me - he is not pulling over or anything. I start honking and flashing my lights to get his attention but still he is not putting on a blinker or slowing down at all. I then pull to his right, roll down my window, he does the passenger side window and I say, "Pull over! You hit my car!" He laughs and says, "No, you hit me!" and yet he continues to drive. Tim and I both shout at him and say, "You need to pull over - Pull over now!" Well, I proceed to pull over and he is in one lane to the right, so I jump back on the freeway because I am thinking that he was going to keep going (after all he did not have his blinker on anymore). He then does pull over and by this time we are almost to the next exit. He gets out of the car and says, "I did not know we hit until I saw the damage on the side of your my car." Ok?! So what I am supposed to think - that you had no clue that we hit and when I yelled at you in the car, you thought I was kidding?! Whatever. Him and I did not say a word to each other. I called the Highway Patrol whose exit was the one were practically at, waited for a half an hour and he took down everyone's statements.

Now, the only thing I can do is get it fixed, wait for the police report and find out what the insurance is going to do. If I am 51% or more at fault, my rates will go up and we will have to pay for the damage to his trailer (the siding of the trailer is dented in and the wheel well is damaged from scraping up against my car).

Halloween

2009-11-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

This year was wonderful - we actually had more than two trick-or-treaters!!!! Since the beginning of my time, I have not had the opportunity to see many little trick-or-treaters come to our homes.

Kat was a witch and the cutest one out there. She wanted to be a princess, but honestly, why be a princess when she dresses up as one every day?! I was thrilled when I saw a costume for $8! Tim took Kat shopping for a the necessary accessories such as her "Prince Eric shoes" and mega cute leggings. I must admit, she was not scary at all but one of the cutest little trick or treaters ever!

This is Tim's favorite holiday and really gets into it - you can tell by his expressions in the pictures. Tim set up eerie music, candles and blacked out the entry so they would not see him after opening the door and scaring the little ones. Also, out front he had a remote controlled rat that he would turn on to make the kids jump. I think this only worked on Kat, honestly. In fact two days later she cried in the middle of the night wondering where the rat went.

Halloween Fun at the Shupes

2009-10-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Our bi-monthly family gathering was held at the Shupe's house and was a blast. After snacking, we headed to the park adjacent to Marin's school and played volleyball.

We have learned that there is no particular family member who has a talent in the volleyball playing department. It was a blast and I personally am glad that the family is not full of professional athletes otherwise I would never play!

After a fun game we headed back to the house for a pumpkin carving contest. Last year Tim, Kat and I were invited to a friends' house to carve pumpkins and that was the first time I had done so and remembered. I suppose carving pumpkins was not something my mom was terribly fond of. Nonetheless, due to a lack of childhood carving, I felt at a slight disadvantage and learned that neither me nor my mom-in-law enjoy the guts or smell of pumpkins. I was relieved that I was not alone in that department.

After the carving was mostly completed we ate dinner. YUMMMM! Andi really knows how to cook food. I wish I had her skill and knowledge of what goes well together. The spread included a floating hand in punch, maggots and brains, worms, and some other creepie crawlie. I loved it!

Once dinner commenced it was judgement time. Tim had to sneak out early to finish his pumpkin. Prior to dinner he had only gutted his pumpkin and was waiting for "inspiration" to begin carving it! In any case, after dinner and desert Kat and Marin were to judge our pumpkins and once they had finished we would select our prize!

In order... Lora won Best Pumpkin (I admit I had a judge's help on deciding the outline to carve), Dan won Most Funny, Cari won Most Something, Gma won Most Creepy, Tim won Most Scary, Adam won funniest, Becky won Most Cute. I can't remember them all, but it was a blast!

As always, I was sad the evening had come.

How Ryan's Birthdate Came To Be

2009-10-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I went to the hospital in Pleasanton for a routine post-due date Non-Stress Test where they monitor the heartbeat and contractions. When they had me on the monitor it appeared that his heart rate was dropping so it was decided that I should be induced.

The all too perfect thing was, once they got me into the delivery room, with the straps still hooked into the computer, they realized that his heart rate was in fact NOT dropping, but that he had been so active that anytime he calmed down for a second it appeared as though his heart rate had dropped. That was fine by me.

An hour or so later, my water was broken and I was given patosin. The contractions started getting stronger and around 7:00 pm I got my epidural. After that I was extra happy.

At 9:30ish pm I started pushing and by 9:43 pm Ryan greeted the world with his beautiful cry. It took four pushes and he was out and looking beautiful.

Kat waited outside with Auntie Kayleigh and Auntie Anne. Once Ryan cried she started getting very worried that something was wrong. Once things were cleaned up, she came in and was originally hesitant but more and more she was loving her brother. The sight of him now makes her giggle. This of course, makes me the happiest mom in the world!

Welcome Baby Ryan

2009-10-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ryan was born on Monday at 9:43 pm in Pleasanton. He weighed 8 lbs, 4 oz and was 21 inches long. He is home now and we are all doing very well.

Kat was very excited but when he was born she could hear him cry from down the hall and was very upset and worried thinking something was wrong. She had to wait until we were both cleaned up before she could come in and was very hesitant to approach Ryan or me.

(Kat may look scared, but she is LOVING it!)

Kat now kisses her brother all the time and talks about how cute he is. She is a wonderful sister and loves him very much.

Ryan had his first doctor's appointment today and he has gained four ounces since birth so the staff was excited for him and Tim and I are proud of his stellar eating abitity.

More pictures to come (we forgot our camera at the hospital, so we have to collect some more pictures before we can post pictures from the day of) and Blogger is being LAME with not letting me upload pictures more than one at a time.

40 Weeks

2009-09-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

(this picture is not very flattering of me, but you get the idea of my belly size - HUGE)

Yesterday I hit full-term. To celebrate, I took Kat to my parents' house and went swimming after unpacking the last of the boxes upstairs. Once swimming was over, I headed to Alameda to spend some time with my Mom-in-law and niece. We joined Tim's Grandma for dinner and I headed home for a very heavy sleep full of odd dreams (very typical) waking occasionally from my Braxton Hicks contractions.

At my last appointment on Thursday I had advanced my dilation from a half to a two! She said my cervix is very soft so I am hoping to go into labor naturally, but we will see. With Kat I did not even start dilating until one week after my due date, so I am pretty happy about this!

I will go back to the hospital on Monday for a non-stress test to make sure the baby is doing well, which I am sure he is and then continue playing the waiting game.

As for the house, Tim worked all day yesterday with his dad, grandpa and friendly professional to install the laminate flooring downstairs! Yeah! It looks so good. When we left for Pleasanton a small portion was done, but the most difficult portion, and Kat started dancing on it. It was an all-too appropriate way to celebrate or show her excitement.

Baby Time

2009-09-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the weekend of labor joys. I am pretty sure I will not voluntarily go into labor, therefore, I will set up the time to deliver tomorrow!

I sure hope Friday is the day I will finally get to see my little boy. The house is not completely ready to accommodate a little man, but his mommy, daddy and big sister are.

At the last appointment Kat asked the Dr. if he was ready to come out yet. When the Dr. said no, Kat addressed her brother by telling him to hurry up! She is going to be a fantastic sister.

UPDATE - Well, apparently my Dr. is not going to be working this weekend so the earliest I could be induced is Sunday night for a Monday delivery. LAME! I hope that it does not come to this, but we will soon find out!

UPDATE - At my latest appointment, they informed me they did not book the opening for Sunday night and the earliest is the latest my Dr. would allow me to go - Wednesday. Yikes. I will go in at 5:30 am to be induced. This will be interesting.

Downstairs and The Move

2009-09-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Upstairs paint is 98% done, therefore, carpets went in, movers moved our things and last night we all slept in our new home! Everything looks fantastic! The colors with the carpets look great, the furniture we have looks good with the colors as well. I am very happy!

Yesterday Tim's mom started painting the downstairs so we no longer have the very dark red, and shortly we will rid the sandy paint in the dining/family room.

Colors and Pruning!

2009-09-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Kat did a dance at the top of the stairs after the carpets were put in. She was very excited for carpeting because that means she will soon get to have more toys at the house and a safe place to play!

The loft was originally green, but a very dirty/gray shade of green which we have livened up substantially.

As for Kat's room, it was a purple sponge painted room, which is now a relaxing lavender. (also, there is no longer a hole in the wall!)

Baby Boy's room was blue and now it is tan and blue with trim separating the colors about 2' below the ceiling. In the blue area, Tim's mom is going to paint different letters of the alphabet and place them around the room. All too cute!

Tim and Lora's master suite was the most disgusting color combo I had ever seen. It started with a rusty red/brown with a few too many layers of sponge painted orange. They really did not know how to sponge paint!

The hallway upstairs is bright white as is the fourth bedroom. We have not touched the bathrooms only because those are not high on priority list.

As for outside the house, Tim's Aunt did an expert job pruning the front three bushes and also the big tree. Tim's Grandfather and my dad dug up the roots and hauled away a lot of the clutter around the front window. Below are the before and after pictures.

All and all I would say that everything looks great! Oh, and Timmy got a Truck!

Baby Shower

2009-09-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

I love my ward here in Pleasanton. Everyone is so nice and sweet. Since the first day in this ward a few years ago, I have felt welcomed and loved by everyone. And now, I have lot of friends in this ward but we have to leave, which truly saddens me.

What else saddens me is the fact that I am not teaching anymore. I will miss my kids so much. They were the easiest kids I have taught in the three years I taught 8-9 year olds. We always laughed in class and at the same time each student was able to tell me what they learned in their own words. Kennedy gave me a hug after class and told me how much she was going to miss me. If it weren't for other people hustling around us being somewhat of a distraction after our conversation, I would have cried. Occasionally when I think of my kids, I want to cry knowing I will have to say goodbye for a long time.

It is always difficult to move to a new city, a new ward, a new home, not knowing anyone and starting over. However, I know that it takes at least a year for us to establish good friendships with several people from our wards and knowing this will just force me to be patient. You can't force friendships and you can't make people like you, or like them. It is just a process worth going through!

Painting!

2009-09-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was our first day of painting. Picking out the colors took me three hours at Home Depot Monday night, but the upstairs was ready to go. My mom took a few hours off work to help and showed Tim how she has painted. For those who do not know my mom, she is a very talented artist. She has made birdhouses, beautiful drawings, custom cabinets and so forth. She has a talent with this sort of thing and the eye to make certain it is done correctly. With all the rooms my mom has painted the walls were always flawless, so Tim was excited to have her teach him a bit about painting walls.

Tim is talented in the artistic field as well. He has always been very good at drawing, deciding where to place things in our homes to be functional and look the best. With his eye for things like this I know he will do a great job painting and will accomplish perfection with his painting as well.

Kat has been asking to paint for a long time now. She knows that once we paint, we can start moving things in and that means TOYS! She was jumping up and down when I told her she could have her own paintbrush. What a cutie!

Because we have started painting, we are also hoping to get the flooring installed early next week. I know now that I should have started this process long ago. Apparently most companies can't come one day to measure and install the next. Oh, well!

Also, I need to decide the paint colors for downstairs. I have one decided, but I need the others decided. Yeah!

Pregnancy Woes

2009-09-02T08:26:00.001-07:00

There really are not any symptoms to complain about other than one unexpected symptom: my cankles or very fat ankles and feet.

On hot days, they swell, but tyically at night, they calm down and resume their normal size. Lately, that has not been the case. In fact, when I walk, my feet jiggle. I have never had this sensation before and admit that I really do not care for it. Nonetheless, I only have about one more month of this swelling, so I should be ok!

House Update

2009-09-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had our first family crew of workers. Unfortunately, it happened to be one of the hottest weekends we have seen recently! Yikes. Oddly enough, as the day progressed with the rising temperatures, inside the house remained cool while the garage became a sauna.

Kat and I were restricted from the house due to the fumes of cleaning supplies and such, so we would occasionally make rounds inside the house for water calls, snack calls, and because curiosity got the best of me. I must admit that not being able to help almost made me cry of a few occasions (the hormones are not helping any either). I would like to think of myself as a hard worker and feel I could have offered a lot of assistance to everyone, but because I have family looking out for me, Kat, and the baby, we were all kept safe.

We had a lot of family come out and everyone had found the room or rooms they chose to take on as a project. It is nearly incomprehensible how filthy this nine year old house was. Dogs lived inside and made a mess of the place! The carpets were soiled by the dogs, trim was eaten and scratched along with doors by the dogs. Gross - can't find a much better word than that. There were also several kids who lived here and I assume never were told to clean nor help move their things by the looks of the "leftovers".

Somehow the previous owners ran a catering business from their house. I would NEVER eat from this place! Because of this chosen profession done in a very unprofessional and assumed unlicensed way, the kitchen was horrendous! My mom-in-law has taken on that portion of the house and has done a remarkable job! I think it will be a three-day job of which she is two days into.

The bathrooms were not a place to get clean, but yet to make even more filthy. It reminds me of the olden days when fathers took the first bath, the water was not changed, and the rest of the family proceeded to "bathe" themselves in the murky water. I say it is similar because it is as if all family member were "bathing" in the bathrooms where it was as if the water was never changed. Uncle Dan especially has worked hard on the upstairs bathroom. He and my Auntie Anne took this on and did a more than fantastic job! They said they wanted at least one place where Kat could take a bath and come out cleaner than dirtier. Their goal was accomplished; it looked brand new! They also cleaned several rooms top to bottom.

Grandma and Grandpa Cooper (Tim's Grandparents) took on the master bathroom. Grandpa also took on the back yard, the front yard, one of the five hornet's nests, and so much more. This bathroom was by far the dirtiest. Brentwood has very hard water and it was evident that a Water Softener was never installed by the looks of the tub. Of all the things in the house, this was the one thing that made people truly grossed out! With the help of pool cleaners, my dad and Tim were able to rid the tub of all lime, dirt, and other foul icky-nesses. Gma and Gpa were able to clean the rest of the bathroom top to bottom with smiles!

My mom and Tim's dad took on all the windows and shutters. Of all the things in the house, the shutters and cabinets were in fantastic condition. Doors have holes in them from being kicked, walls have holes from doors being swung open to forcefully, etc. Therefore, we wanted to make certain that the shutters remained pristine with lots of cleaning. The windows needed a lot of help too! However, not any more; the windows need only to be covered so paint does not take away from their hard work.

The list goes on and on and on and on... What everyone has done is tremendous. My Dad and Tim have put in the most hours, miles, muscles, and sweat into this house. With the help of my brother and Gpa, they removed all the flooring. Ick. They also cleaned the backyard of random debris including diapers, cement, dog crates, and more. They removed a dead tree from the front of the house, cleaned up the other large front tree, cleared the house of all things unnecessary. Basically, they have had at least four dumpster loads of garbage removed from the house.

By now, if any of you have read this entire posting, you may never want to come to our house knowing the filth that was here. I assure you, having the walls and every inch of this place thoroughly cleaned, there is no need feel disgusted. In fact, I made a Master List which is seven pages long of all the detailed items needed to be done. The list is more than halfway completed. I have not been in the house since Saturday and saw the biggest transformation this house has undergone already. There may be a lot more to do, however, it will be livable before baby comes in twenty something days!

Thank you again and again to all of you who have helped. I wish I had a medal or award to give.

Baby Shower

2009-08-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

I loved my shower. I had a great time and was able to talk to everyone that was there. I was relaxed and happy and I owe that to everyone who helped. For starters, the Ostlunds. They had done a great job setting everything up, getting everything looking beautiful and were so sweet to offer hosting it at their house. Rachael and Fenima, you both did a fantastic job of getting everything together and I appreciate it. Marissa, thank you for taking pictures. I am sorry I did not get any of you unfortunately. Thank you, Auntie Anne for taking notes while I opened the gifts.

A special thank-you for everyone for coming and making it the wonderful day that it was. I appreciate all the gifts; the clothes, bedding, diaper bag, blankets and sweet words written in the cards. I love you all and can't thank you enough.

After the shower, a few of us stayed behind to go swimming. Above is Kat and Kaylee. That was a blast. Thanks again to everyone for all they did!

P2 Summer Camp

2009-08-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost at an end, that means our ward summer camp is too. Last week will be the last and I am so sad. It has been such a relief having someone plan an event at least once a week and knowing a few hours of the day would be planned for me. Everyone had a turn being the host and this week was my turn.

With Kat camping with her great-grandparents the second half of the week, we had our activity on Tuesday. I decided to go to Tilden Park in Berkeley. I have heard great things about the park and how much fun it is. For the activity, we all met at the trains and while the kids and parents rode the train, I hid our August Easter Eggs. Inside few of the eggs I had placed a piece of paper with a letter, number or the word space written on it. At the end of the ride, I gathered all the kids ranging from 18 months or so to about 8 years old. I told them the rules and sent them on the hunt.
They were running around like crazy and having a fun time picking up all the eggs. After all the eggs were gathered, we went to the "treasure chest" or my ice chest with a lock around it. The kids emptied the eggs to find the message scrambled. The two older kids worked hard to figure out the code and rushed to the lock. With the code they unlocked the "treasure" and found push-pops and popsicles inside. After we ate lunch, those that wanted to stay were welcome to. Kat and I did not leave the park until 4:00 and we saw a very small portion of the park: the steam train, merry-go-round, play structure. We did not get a chance to feed the animals or do a lot of the other things they had there. Oh, well - next time!

(these are not the chosen pictures to post - they happen to be the only ones Blogger will do for some unknown reason, so sorry!)

Paci Update

2009-08-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

Those who have read past posts remember may remember my issues with Kat and her pacifiers. I am so sad to say that she still has them. A lot of mom's say it is not worth the bother after I explain how different she is without them, but at the same time, it just does not look right. Granted, in my eyes, I do not see her as a two-year-old. She has always seemed older to me with her control of emotion, out-going personality, vocabulary, and so much more. This is the one thing where I can say, well, she is only two years old... and eventually get over it.

In the picture, you can see her with her paci (one of the two she sleeps with). You will see that it is attached to a giraffe's neck. This is because I refuse to be awoken by her wanting her paci. Granted, this does not happen very often, but when it does I am irritated for the remainder of the day...no fun for anybody. I attached the paci to the giraffe so she cannot loose it, but at the same time, it is not long enough to wrap around her neck. The second paci is not attached to anything, which she uses as her primary, but should that one get lost, she always has an easy-to-find back-up.

Summer Fun

2009-08-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

I love the summer. There are activities everywhere you look that are family oriented, cheap and local. It is just the best! I also think that all that sunshine brings out the best in people. Having lived in Washington State where the sun is often forgotten, I can appreciate the benefits of the sun and what it does to those around me. I am a huge California supporter and this is just one of the innumerable reasons why.

As I read other peoples' blogs, I notice that a lot of them include swimming, swimming lessons, or pools in their posts. Our summers since I could remember, have been filled with swimming, lessons, water games, slip 'n slides, etc. It is just the greatest. One game that Kat has become fond of in the past year or more, is role-playing from princess movies. She may know the stories (more from books than movies), but she loves to be the damsel in distress, or Price in distress. Below are pictures of Kat and me acting out the singing scene from The Little Mermaid where Ariel sings to Eric after rescuing him.

You can't really see the ever growing belly in this picture, but I LOVE that it is not a maternity suit.

Tutu loves swimming with Kat. The feeling is mutual. Kat loves playing with her in the water. Last year they bought her a swimming Ariel, which Kat now chases around the pool and has to rescue. I am going to miss this pool whenever they move.

Our Ward is fantastic! Every week we get together at a different location with a different host. Kat loves it because she calls all the girls and boys in Nursery her Best Friends and loves playing with them. I have yet to take pictures though...I am so lame!

Earlier this month, our stake had a Pioneer Day Picnic at the Fairgrounds. This was a blast! We were able to meet up with friends we have not seen in a while, play games, let the kids run wild and eat fantastic food. We all had a blast and, as usual, we stayed till the very end and were one of the first to arrive. One activity I enjoyed was the watermelon eating contest. A bunch of us wives got our husbands to join after watching a bunch of the younger ones compete. It ended up being a very popular booth. Tim did not win, I am sorry to announce!

Below, Kat is playing with some of the other girls. They had been exploring and finding hidden treasures.

I only wish I had more pictures to post of all the fun we have been having, but that is just it - I am having too much fun to think of taking pictures!

July Fun...our house

2009-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy this month - it is unbelievable!
Here are some pictures of places we went/things we have done.

San Francisco Academy of Science Museum - This place is AWESOME! (and expensive) Kat and I went with some friends from church who have annual passes. With those passes they are allowed two guests per entrance free of charge. Kids under six are free, so there ended up being a large group of us that went.
Kat is ideal for going to museums. She loves to stay at the exhibits for a long time, I will read to her the plaques and she really enjoys learning. I was very impressed and still am surprised by this.
The exhibits were fantastic but there are a ton of them. WOW! I had no idea it was going to be as busy as it was and filled with as many exhibits as it was. The Rainforest was awesome - a butterfly landed on my shoulder for a brief moment. Kat thought that was pretty cool.
The kids all had a great time playing together - in fact, one of the boys I teach at church was there and Kat took an instant liking to him. The following Sunday Kat was looking for her boyfriend. She said that he is handsome! What a girl! I cannot express adequately enough how much fun I had. I did not want to leave nor did anyone in my traveling group, including Kat.

A's Games with the Family - We have gone to a few A's games this year and they have been such a blast. One included fireworks which could not have made Kat any happier. She still talks about the lights going down in the city and the fireworks going Boom Boom! She is such a goober. We went another time with an extra member of the family we do not get to see too often - Mickey, Tim's brother. Hopefully I can get that group picture posted soon. Too bad at the games we attended the A's lost and lost and lost.

Enjoying the Summer Warmth - Aside from swimming as much as we possibly can, Kat has enjoyed moments like this with Tutu and Pops.

6 Flags with Kat's Cousin, Kaylee - This was a fun day. We babysat my cousin all day and had been promising Kat we would take her to Six Flags since we would not pay to take her on the Alameda County Fair rides (far too expensive). I am a rather blunt person, so I will just get it out there - Kaylee is a wimp! By the end of the day she finally went on a ride that went up and down along with going in a circle. She was so funny. Her and Kat could not be any different. Kat enjoyed showing her cousin the rides and shows. Kaylee's favorite was the dolphins.

Our New House - We were able to get a few pictures now that the occupants are gone. They left it in a rather disgusting state. When you come into the house it smells like...maybe I should not tell you because it is so gross. There was trash everywhere. You can see by the pictures how much stuff was left in the rooms and upstairs was even worse if you can imagine. We are excited nonetheless to take everything and make it our own (hopefully next month earlier than later). More pictures to come once we close escrow, of course.

Tommy T's Comedy Show - Rachael and I went to the show and had a great time. I had never been to something like this before and rather enjoyed it. The first two guys that went up on stage were a bit crude and dirty (especially one), but fortunately they were only the warm-ups to the good act. I am glad we went and were able to get in despite being ten minutes late.

Tri-Valley Single Ward Reunion - On Saturday we headed out to San Ramon where we joined a lot of long-lost friends from our single days. It was a blast. We were among the last to leave and the first to arrive (that just shows how much fun we were having). The food was great, company was splendid and there was so much going on. I just love getting together with friends and talking over food. What could be better?

Harry Potter Movie - Tim and I had a date night to the movies on Wednesday to see the new movie and it was great. I had started reading the books and by the time we saw the movie I was 150 pages short of completing the sixth book. I was amazed at how well they had stayed true to the books in the previous movie but not this one as much. I do not want to say too much in fear of giving anything away to those of you who have yet to enjoy the movie. It was the funniest one however. All the actors and actresses really have changed and added so much more to their roles. it was lovely to have a date night with Timmers. We need them more often I admit especially knowing I am not going to be able to get away from a nursing baby in a few months for some time.

NERD ALERT!!!!

2009-07-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

Go check out http://timsguidetoeverythingfun.blogspot.com/ and get inside my geeky brain.

Happy Father's Day

2009-07-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Kat was helping me cook. She loves to taste everything as we cook. Kat is a great helper (these pictures were from our trial-run the week before).

Yeah, I am not sure why I forgotten to post on the wonderful subject, I guess I thought I did. Oh, bother!

Tim is the best father I know. I do not say that because he is my husband and I am supposed to, he really seems to be the best out there. His dad was great with him, his brother and sister growing up and he seems to have taken notes in past twenty-something years on what makes a great daddy. Tim has fine-tuned this for Kat and our future son to a level of perfection! We both feel that Fathers Day was an after-thought on the calendar. I believe that since then dads really have taken a lot more as time has progressed - they are not just the money makers anymore, but are active in their childrens' lives like never before.

My goal this year was for Tim to know undoubtedly that I love him and love the father he is and had been striving to be for so long. I wanted to make sure that he was not forgotten and spoiled on this day, so Kat and I did our best to leave him be (sounds a bit contradictory doesn't it?!). The day before Father's Day, Tim had returned from his two-week training with the National Guard, so sleeping was #1 priority. I took Kat with me to Church and came home prepared to make a yummy breakfast Kat and I practiced while he was away. Well, I did not count on him actually waking before we returned and having eaten food, so we had breakfast for dinner.

Before Tim had gotten home, I made sure the house was super clean, the lawn mowed, trash cans emptied and everything resolved that needed resolution. I did this because I wanted to ensure that he had nothing to do that day or even the next few days...the plan had actually worked!

Kat and I had grown anxious and given him his gift early; Animaniacs, and told him to buy a new A's hat...I can't do that without him! So, on Father's day we gave him his cards and relaxed beside him. It was a nice day and he said that the cards he received this year were possibly the best (I really tried to accomplish that goal), it was exactly what he wanted - no pressure to do anything but rest!

First Day of the Alameda County Fair

2009-07-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Every year since I was a small child (maybe before), my family has had box seats reserved at the Alameda County Fair Racetrack. As a kid, we would watch the horses race by and had fun doing so, but this tradition has now spread to Tim and Kat. Tim, surprisingly, has really taken to the races. We do not gamble, but make verbal bets with one another and keep track of who is doing well and who is not. My parents love to gamble and Tim and I share in their misery or triumphs.
The First Annual Hat Contest at the Fair

At the races, they have a few drawings. The first of which is putting for $10k. Three people try every day to make a 20 foot put and at the end of the fair the three people who get the closest to the hole, or got it in, get together for the 100 foot put. He or she who wins this gets the $10k. Tim and I entered our names in and would you know it - my name was pulled. I think I was 84 inches away from the hole (yikes)! I had a blast doing it though. Considering it was the first day, I am in the lead...that will not last long. The two other people I putted with got significantly closer, but the closest one was an avid golfer who was 20 inches off. They were boo'd by the crowd and I was oooh'd; clearly I was the favorite to win, the odds were against me and was the only Pleasanton native!

The other drawing is to win money on the eighth race. There are boxes for each of the horses and you put your name in one box. After the race, they draw names from the top three horses. If you name is pulled, you win money. Every year, someone who has been sitting in our section wins. When I was pregnant with Kat, I won $200 or something like that. It was great! Yesterday, my name was the only one called for the day, and not for this drawing. Maybe next time...and I know there will be a next time, Tim or I may bet pulled!

As for Kat, she was able to ride a ride (they cost way too much so she suckered TuTu into taking her). She also got to see Tadpole the Clown and his sidekick, a juggle show, a pet show, made a flower, saw the races and put on a little concert. Kat had the stage to herself for about 15 minutes and in that time her audience grew from two to about 20, all applauding and giving us praise. I loved it! She was adorable!

Note about the video - our camera is wonderful, but the sound is really bad. Can you tell what song she is singing? The end is best. So basically, ignore the beginning half.

Swimming Champ

2009-07-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

Kat has been getting a lot of swimming practice in this summer. We spent two days last week at Tim's Grandparents' community pool and one day this week at a friend's pool from Church.

This last time n the water iwas Kat's best swimming experience yet. By the end of the day she was jumping off the top step into the pool and swimming to me half way across the pool. She did great...better than great! I had so much fun with her! Every time I am more and more impressed with her achievements.

In the video, she is swimming with a noodle and floaties, but minutes later she swam with only the floaties on her arms...maybe I will post that video after the batter charges!

Our Lives

2009-06-13T08:22:00.001-07:00

There seems to be a lot going on with our family, so I will do my best to fill you all in.

TIMMER/TIMMY
At the moment he is completing his second week of his two-week training down at Camp Roberts with the National Guard. The National Guard has been good to us in terms of benefits but these are the most unorganized guys ever... Being with a group of Medics makes that fact a little scary. He seems to be doing well on this trip and here are the photos he has sent: the first is their Tactical Operation Center (or something like that), second is what he referred to as a "toy", and lastly when on the field with guns and such, he is in full armor (the only one I might add) as to prevent even the slightest thing from happening to him!

I miss him while he is gone. I feel very lonely, out of sorts, just plain lost; but at the same time I am accomplishing a lot! I am happy to hear that he is safe and doing well with the random text messages I receive considering reception is faulty where he is at.

KAT/KIT-KAT/KATHRYN
Kat is doing well. I have come to terms regarding the whole pacifier issue and she could not be happier to have them back in her possession. Her routine is fantastic - bed around 8:30, sleeps for 12 or more hours at night. Occasionally, we hear her sing herself to sleep or sing when she is awake. When she is ready to get out of bed, she will climb out of her crib, pacis in hand and come find us to either snuggle or go potty.

She is very excited about her baby brother and is starting to get impatient. She refers to him by his three names that we are deciding among and understands when I cannot do the things I used to with her. She is going to be a great "little mommy".

SEAN/RYAN/KYLE
He is doing great. He did not like it when I had food poisoning, however! I have never felt him so strongly....which trust me, he is very strong and long! By now he has ears to hear me and his daddy and sister. Knowing that, it makes it even more exciting to talk to him or listen to music. At the last appointment, we heard his heartbeat and all looks and seems fantastic. I just hope he is a bit impatient and decided to come out a few weeks early as opposed to late like his sister did.

LORA/LERWA
Thanks to Allie, I have a new nickname: Lerwa. It makes the three of us laugh every time we hear or say it. The pregnancy is treating me well. I may be without Allie this summer, so who knows, maybe I will get a part-time job. I miss working and experiencing the office drama (I love drama unfortunately but I try not to create any). Finances are going to be tough this summer with Tim not working or going to school, so I may take this opportunity to get some cash in!

Overall, I think we are all very happy and doing very well! There is no word on any of the houses we put offers on, but maybe we will start looking after Tim gets home...the waiting game; I should be very patient by now, but anxiety gets the best of me.

Best Trip Ever!

2009-06-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

We Love Disneyland!

On Monday morning, Tim and I were sitting on the floor, playing with Kat planning out the week. Tim had just finished his last two finals on Friday, so school was on break and he had until Saturday to report to his two-week National Guard Training, so we did not have anything planned. Within a few hours, the laundry was done, bags were packed, car was full of gas, Tim had picked up his tickets from the military base, and we were gone!

THE DEAL - Disneyland was offering a special to all Armed Forces - Free for the service member, up to five 3-day park hoppers for the price of a one day single park admission...no brainer! The offer expires today, the 12th, and seeing how Tim is at training, last week was our only week to use this deal. Kat is still free because she is two and therefore, we only paid for my ticket!

The three days were wonderful! We were able to do everything we wanted - saw Disney Playhouse on Stage, Alladin the musical, all the rides multiple times, parade, fireworks (unexpectedly), etc. When Kat was in need of a nap, I stayed with her, rested my feet and read while Tim went off and rode the rides we cannot! It was perfect! I had a wonderful time and I can't wait to go again!

May Fun

2009-06-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

There have been so many things going on in our lives that computer time just does not make it in.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Oakland Zoo

Tutu and Pops Pool

SuperFranks

...and so much more.

Bye Bye Pacifier

2009-05-22T23:14:00.001-07:00

The other day, Kat woke up and her breath was BAD. I am talking, it was so bad that Tim was holding her out in front of him trying to avoid any possible run-ins with the odor. Poor Kat - it is not her fault, but I do blame her pacifiers. She is a little older than two and a half, can spell her name, knows her numbers, shapes, colors, and a few letters, has been potty trained for a year and yet she still has her "paci". Do not get me wrong, I do not feel that others who have their kids with binkies in their mouths past Kat's age are doing anything wrong, it is just the way I feel about her. Pacis are supposed to be soothing and at this point, they are just annoying. She does not sleep any better with them but instead cries at night when she loses them. This just is not right, so in any case, enough was enough about three days ago.

I told her that she is far too old for her paci and maybe her brother would want them. She quickly agreed to give them as a gift to her brother. We got out a little bag, put in the pacis and wrapping paper and set it in her closet. She asked a few times in the past three days for them, but when I remind her of her very sweet gift, she quickly stops asking. It was adorable.

I love how much she is in love with her baby brother already. She enjoys feeling him move and talking about him, she talks about the day when he comes out often and seems genuinely happy about not being the only child anymore.

Guess what...the fun wore off after only two days. Kat has her paci's back! Can you believe it. It was so bad that she was intentionally peeing all over the house, when she was at the grocery store and a whole lot of other issues. I suppose she really needs it still

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's in whatever capacity you be - a mom of a few or lots, an auntie or sitter. For me, growing up I had several "mom's" or women I would turn to for advice or support. They have all taught me very valuable lessons and been examples to me to hopefully help me become the best mom I can. I may not be able to appropriately convey how much I love all these women from my youth and now, but I sincerely do!

My mother's day was wonderful. I woke up with the other two sleeping, went to church while Tim and Kat stayed home to sleep and finish recovering from their most recent illnesses. I taught my class, which was wonderful and came home.

When I came home, this is what I found:

When I came in, the house had been cleaned and there was my gift, sitting there waiting for me to open it. I had made a comment the other day that I needed a vase because one is way too big, the other too small, so he got one that was the perfect size. Kat had made me a card with a bunch of adorable quotes as well.

Kat really is my of my best friends!

He made me lunch and then we headed over to my parents' house. My mom was so excited to get her card from us. It is a tradition in my family that instead of getting gifts for everyone, we make homemade/heartfelt cards instead. Because the three of us worked on one - it was huge. Tutu was VERY excited to see Kat. She always is.

After visiting with my parents, we went to Alameda for dinner with Tim's Aunt and Uncle and Grandparents. Tim's Grandpa decided to make desert. He did a great job and we gave him a lot of grief for it - we had to. Here he is serving his desert; lemon poppy seed cake with strawberries with white chocolate and whipped cream filling.

Lastly, we made our way to Tim's parents' house. We arrived at their house just as they arrived from Sacramento. We had a great time visiting before it was time to go.

I received hugs and kisses all day long. I hope you had a wonderful day as well.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-04-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite breakfast - french toast with LOTS of butter and powdered sugar

Saturday was my 27th birthday, and it was amazing. I set my alarm (which I would not usually do on a Saturday birthday), got the family ready and made my way to Jim's for breakfast with the family. A family tradition has always been for my mom to make our favorite meals, but this year with them selling their house and building a new one, things were a little too crazy. My immediate family came and we all had a lot of fun. Kat was a huge hit with people at the restaurant too.

After eating, we heading out to house-hunt. There were a lot of houses we looked at from the outside, and a few open houses as well. I had a fun times. We definitely learned what neighborhoods we want to stay away from and which ones to bring our Realtor with us to next week.

Once the house shopping had commenced, we babysat a little boy from our ward. He is the cutest thing! When I had agreed to watch him, I had forgotten it was my big day, but you know, I really enjoyed it!

Tim went to the store to make us all homemade ice cream sundays. He used to work at Fenton's in Alameda, so he knows his ice cream and toppings well. It was delicious. After we put Kat down for night night, we watched Baby Momma. It was hilarious.

Throughout the day I received calls from friends and family; maybe record setting, making the day even better! I should give a special thank you to Timmy Timmers for making my day so great. It was the best birthday I have had in a while. He did everything to make sure I knew I was special to him. His gift was great and unexpected - a new book and flowers! The flowers were my favorite! He did very well! Thank you so much Sweetness!

The little baby is a...

2009-04-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

...BOY!!! Kat has been able to feel him move for the past few days. Poor Tim, every time he put his hand on my belly he would stop moving...until tonight! We were eating dinner and he either does not like the space competition or knew it was dinner time exciting him. Either way, he was moving and Tim was finally able to feel him.

When we had our most recent ultrasound, and like the one before, the technician had a difficult time with the mega-mover. He was so cute though and Kat was great through the entire long process. It looks as though he is going to have a rather large nose and his head puts him six days older than he is.

Tim thinks that I am bad-mouthing our son and in my defense, regardless of how big or small his nose is or will be - it will be perfect - duh.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Easter was unusually super-filled this year. It started with the Easter Rabbit and Easter Buffalo for Kat. You may be a bit confused by the Easter Buffalo, so let me tell you the story. When Kat and Tim went to Sacramento, they had Family Home Evening centered around Easter. They talked about the Savior and Easter Bunny, but the entire time Kat was persistent about an Easter Buffalo. Tim called me to see if I had anything to do with this and while I usually do, I did not this time.

Completely on her own, Kat came up with the Easter Buffalo and it was decided there must be a story to accompany this creature. If Kat believes the Easter Buffalo will come, then he will - we just had to figure out his role. The Easter Rabbit (as opposed to bunny) comes and gives candy, toys, books,baskets, eggs, etc. to the good boys and girls on Easter. The Easter Buffalo comes to all boys and girls who believe and they get "droppings" or poop. These droppings represent the amount of naughty behavior that child displayed in the past year. The bigger the droppings or the larger amount of droppings the child receives, the naughtier they were that year. Kat really liked it but to make sure she understood what I had explained we had the following conversation:

"Kat, do you want big poopies from the Easter Buffalo, or do you want little droppings from the Easter Buffalo?"

"Little!"

"Do you want a lot of droppings, or a little?"

"Little!"

"If you get a lot, what does that mean?"

"I was bad girl."

"Do you think you will get a few little poopies?"

"Yes! 'Cause I good girl, Mommy!"

How right she was. The day before, we prepped the eggs for the Easter Rabbit to hide and lead her to her basket. We made a lot of surprisingly good eggs. Kat ended up looking like a leprechaun because blue and green were the colors of her choice. Every time she dunked the egg, it would splatter and she became more and more green!

When we woke up Kat, which was not as difficult as usual, we asked her who had come to our house. She replied, "Allie!" Tim and I laughed. After a minute of clues she guessed the Easter Buffalo and Rabbit. She hopped out of her crib and saw a few eggs. She began following the eggs, but noticed the trail of poopies. She got very excited and said, "The Easter Buffalo left me poop!" She decide to follow the eggs instead droppings. The eggs led her to her basked which was full of goodies. She was so cute, but not as proud as Tim was. (Tim was in charge of the basket this year and shopping with him was a blast! Everything was so cute and so perfect for Kat according to him. I loved it!)

After the basket was opened and thoroughly looked through, one candy in her mouth and one in hand, we followed the trail of droppings. It was a brief trail leading to the potty where he left a cluster of four. Kat was so happy and pleased with the amount she received. We told her to try one because they are edible and after she did, she quickly spit it out into my hand. Apparently Kat does not like black licorice.

After the excitement, we hurried into our church clothes, did our hair while Tim got ready and were were out the door only 10 minutes behind schedule. Church was great. I loved how the choir sang. I was very impressed, and to be honest that does not happen too often with ward choirs. After Sacrament meeting, I was with my class of 10 year old kids. I knew they were excited about Easter and one of them would not stop asking if I brought treats. I do not think I will make the mistake of bringing treats to class ever again (this was my first attempt and I have taught this age group 3 years already). Oh, well!

After Church it was straight to Tutu and Pop's house. The Easter Rabbit left her another basket, along with Hogan and his girlfriend Kayleigh. Once the family came it was the chatter as usual. Kat and Kenna went crazy in the back yard looking for bugs with Kat's new bug finding kit that the Tutu and Pops' Rabbit left. The fun continued and went on until we were late to Tim's Grandparents' place in Alameda. Oops - Tim and I had no clue what time it was.

We rushed out of my parents place to have an egg hunt ready to go in Alameda. Then food, then candy, then candy and more candy. Kat was the only little one at this house so she put on her talent show - singing, dancing and going crazy. Grandma and Granddad had a sand bucket full of clothes and one piece of candy for Kat. There was also some clothes for her baby _____ (I can't fill in the blank quite yet!).

It was a wonderful day! Happy Easter (a day late) everyone!

Baseball

2009-04-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend Tim and I met up with Kat and Tim's parents at the Oakland A's Fan Fest. I can't believe I am going to admit this, but I am excited about baseball. I really enjoyed AAA BBall in Washington more than anything, but this did excite me nonetheless.

We were able to see the players practice hitting, fielding, interview, fans were interviewed as well and we got free things. Tim came home with a jersey, as did both of his parents and brother - all were previously worn by a coach or a player (I can't remember exactly) at a game. Tim becomes a little boy at certain places - this is one of them. He is so easily excited.

Kat was excited mostly by Stomper. She got her picture taken with him, played in his "castle" as she referred to it and got a Stomper tattoo.

Six Flags Vallejo

2009-04-06T19:36:00.001-07:00

In March, the gang (Adam, Andi, Marin, Tim, Kat and Lora) got together to visit Six Flags for the first time this season. I love theme parks. Kat loves this one because Thomas the Train has his own section of the park! Another reason she loves it is because of the shows, rides and play structures. Her absolute most favorite part is the fact that her Cousin, Auntie and Uncle will be there!

Being preggers, I was the designated one to play with the girls when the other adults occasionally rode the coasters! This does not bother me much, although I do miss the coasters. After the baby comes, I will get my fill (assuming they do not go bankrupt).

Kat really wanted to see Bugs Bunny. I had forgotten, but last year, she danced with him on stage and since then he has become her favorite. Therefore, the entire time she was asking for Thomas the Train and Bugs. She really loves what she loves.

Marin and Kat had a blast with Jocko the Walrus. He is such an entertainer; you may remember him from the 50 First Dates movie with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. He claps, kisses, makes a clicking noise with his teeth. Jocko really took a liking to Kat - he would come up to her every time she was at the window and stare at her or show off. Kat would kiss the glass or pretend to tickle him. Marin was scared by him again. Marin did this last year as well - she put her back to the glass and when she turned around he was staring at her - face to face. Her reaction is hilarious.

At the end, the girls had to pose with their Thomas hats. Kat was mugging us and it was hilarious, as you can tell by Tim's face. Marin prefer the adorable pose.

For the pictures, we have Marvin the Martian, Sir Topham Hatt, Bugs Bunny, Jocko the Walrus, and the rest are easy enough to figure out.

We had a blast! The next time, Tim and Kat will join Marin's Birthday party later this week. What a fun birthday party!

2/7 Twins with no Blood Relation

2009-04-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Kat and Allie; my twins for two days. They are behaving more like twins than ever before - at least how I would envision twins to be. My vision would include the occasional fights, secret languages, laughs, sharing, saying "mine", and wanting to nap together. That is basically what goes on in my house nowadays. (The exception is the naps; Kat wants to nap with Allie, but never naps, so instead she and I play together or read.) There are less and less fights, more and more hugs and kisses. As for the secret language, Allie has always had her own. There are times when Kat and I or Tim and I would look at each other with puzzled looks and break out in laughter not having a clue what her two minute monologue was about. Kat has caught on that this is funny, so she has her own too. When talking to Allie, they will occasionally break out in their bla bla's. It is adorable and very fun to see this transition with the two buddies.

The park is a definite favorite. In one picture y0u can see them running to the play structure. Everyday Allie begs to go to the park. Usually when she gets to my house it is early, Kat is still sleeping and it is cold outside, so she has to exercise patience on a regular basis. Because of thier love, I purchased sand toys (finally). This makes park days last even longer!

On this day, we were playing in the front yard - or random plant villa thing that needs a lot more attention and pruning. While attempting to prune with the girls, we found some snails. This was fun. They did not want to touch it, but were so fascinated by it. I do not know a whole lot about snails, but I offered all that I do know. We watched it try to get away and get stuck in a crack. When Allie's mom came to pick her up, she ran to the car, pulled her mom out and showed her the snail. The girls were engrossed in the snail and I was likewise in their enthusiasm.

Updates

2009-04-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

I suppose you should get an update on all the members of my family. First, Kat. She is the star of the family so it is only fitting that she goes first. I must say that FINALLY my little angel is back. About a week ago something clicked and she realized life was better when she would do what we asked and cooperated. It was only a few weeks that she was "off", but once again she is sleeping on her own and listens. When Allie is here, the two girls play and do not fight nearly as much. I would say about 15% as much. Yeah, it is that good!

Tim and his nose are doing great. He can breathe much easier and is now allowed to work hard (as of Monday). Drill this month was annoying but because of his nose, he was able to work office hours throughout the week instead...way better for all of us! School is going great! He is doing very well in his classes and oddly enough Sociology is his best class. One might have thought that he would be excelling in his Firefighting classes...sillies!

The little baby is getting bigger. We snuck a peak last weekend with a last minute trip to the Dr. With Kat, there weren't issues until it came to the last three or four days (I was in labor the entire time...I was not dilated enough but having long and frequent contractions). This pregnancy I am spotting and in pain often. My diet now consists of plain food. I eat a very good dose of fresh, raw veggies, fruit and rolls. Occasionally I will add something, but usually I regret it. Back to the baby - the ultrasound last week showed that Baby is growing and very healthy.

We are having a baby!

2009-03-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already heard the news, if not - it is only because the opportunity did not arise.

Baby's due date: September 26

I will find out the gender at 20 weeks - May11th. I was planning on waiting to post anything, but since the word is out, why not!

Funny Kat Quotes

2009-03-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Last night was yet another tough night. I have come to the conclusion that Kat is testing my limits; pushing Tim and me as far as possible to know what she can get and what it takes to get there. I sure hope she gives up soon!

Last night Tim was at class, so I had 100% bedtime duty. She was fine with getting reading and getting into her crib, as usual, however she would not let me leave. She kept saying, "Mommy, don't leave me!" Finally, I told her I had to leave because I needed to get ready for bed. Normally she would be fine with me leaving for a few minutes to get myself ready, but not this time! She was yelling a lot for me to come back. At one point she was begging, "Mommy please come back! Please! Please come back Mommy!" At that, I almost came back, but then she started a new strategy.

This was the best part. She said, "Mommy, I do not like someone anymore. There is somebody I do not like anymore." She waited for a response, but I was sure it was me, so there was no need to respond. She then continues, "Mommy, I do not like Daddy. Mommy, I like you! I like you more. Mommy, I like you most!" What?! I started laughing. We had a talk and I told her how that made me sad. I asked her why she said that. She replied, "I wanted you to come back," with a sad face. She realized that was a mistake. When Tim got home, we were still awake (at 11:15 pm) so I told him the story. The whole time she paid very close attention and at one point shared her tidbit, "Mommy, I cried the whole time!" Tim and I could not help but laugh.

She is funny, but smart...too smart!

Family Pictures

2009-03-16T14:22:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Nicki, for taking our pictures. I love the vibrant colors. You did a great job!

Kat is our Sleepless Wonder

2009-03-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday night at 8:00, we start getting Kat ready for bed. We go through the whole routine and occasionally she will say, "Mommy, don't leave me!" or something to that effect. She does this recently about every other night where she refuses to sleep without one of us being there the whole time. She has a history of nightmares, but I do not think this is related.

What Tim and I decided to do was ignore the request and respond with comments like, "Tomorrow you get to go to Church and play with all your friends, eat a yummy snack and sing songs! You are so lucky! We all need to get a good night's sleep so we can have a fun time at Church..." and so on and so on. She starts to get excited and it seems as though Tim and I will not have to stay in bed with her.

How wrong we were! She sat in bed singing, then crying for one of us until 11:30. She then slept for about 45 minutes, after that it was only 10 minutes of sleep for every hour. I had my earplugs in, so I was oblivious to all Tim had to do. After she would scream, he would go in there, tell her a requested story, she would start to fall asleep, so she requested his hand, he gave it to her and when she was asleep, he would take his had back and attempt to sneak out, and the whole thing would start again. Often times he said one story was not enough!

Poor Tim! So at 6:00 am, he came to me and said he had enough, he was far too exhausted and brought Kat in to sleep with me in the bed. For one hour until my alarm went off, she played with my hair, talked to me, sang to me and kicked me (her bedtime specialty since birth!). I figured, let's get ready. We made our way to eat breakfast where she went to town on a bowl of cereal. Afterwards she wanted to watch TV, but that is not permitted when one does not deserve it! I told her I needed to take a shower and she started screaming, "Mommy no take a shower! You're not Stinkerbelle!" (When Kat needs a bath or I need a shower we call each other Stinkberbelle to get giggles as opposed to cries or protests.)

We made a deal - we would lay in bed for a little while and then I would take a shower. Can you guess what happened at 9:30 am? She went to sleep! Can you believe that? What is going on? She slept a little over an hour total the whole night and finally she konks out such a late hour and was out! She woke up at noon still grumpy but upset that she missed Church. Kat and Tim were talking and she said how badly she wanted to go to Nursery to sing and play with kids...too bad. Can you imagine what she would have been like after no sleep?

Tim was assigned to Nursery and he was home recovering from his sleep loss, so I took his spot. It was so much easier to help out with the kids when my own was not there. I did miss her a lot though! Last night the requests started coming in, so Tim set up a bed in Kat's room and stayed there the entire night. I am hoping last night was better than yesterday morning!

12/29 UPDATE
The last two nights, Kat has slept great. Last night was the best; she went to bed with little fuss - the whole process taking no more time than it should have - we put her in bed, kissed her, said the goodnight promises and shut the door. When she woke up, she climbed out of her bed and by the time I got there, she she must have climbed out of the rocking chair. She seemed to be ready to play and have a great time. I made Tim make us breakfast and she has been our wonderful girl!

I am guessing that throughout all of this she has learned a few things - stick to what works, Mommy and Daddy were happier when everyone slept where they were supposed to, Kat is happier when she gets a full night's sleep, and Mommy and Daddy are more persistent than Kat amazingly enough!

Nursery

2009-03-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

A month ago Tim and I were asked to help out in nursery (the 1 1/2 to 3 year old) at church. Tim and I were excited because we had tried for a year to get her in there without one of us being there with her. In the meeting where they asked if we would accept the calling, we had to put her in Nursery, and she went with no problem. They asked us initially because they knew we were having a difficult time keeping her there. We would be taking turns with a few other couples, so we would have two weeks on and two weeks off.

In any case, now she has a difficult time being in there when I am - she is SO confusing! I know she gets a lot out of the two hours because she sings church songs the whole way home. Today she said they learned a new one. I asked her what it was called and she answered, "Book of Mormon!" I was so excited because this is one of my favorites. She kept singing, Book of Mormon stories my teacher hmmm hmm hmmm..." Tim and I sang it with her a few times. She was so cute.

Often times when she sings her church songs, she ends or begins with, "I love my Church songs!". She is a cutie.

Kat is showing off her new shoes that Grandma Cari bought for her a few weeks back.

What a Thursday

2009-03-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

Something has come over this house. First of all, Allie comes at around 7:30 in the am to play for about 9 hours. She usually will take a nap around lunch-time. Not today. As soon as she got here, she went straight to her crib, sat on the floor and waited for me. When I got there, I asked her if she wanted to go to sleep. She smiled a huge smile and nodded her head, yes. Ok, I though, sure! She is still sleeping, as is Kat, as is Tim. IT IS 10:30! What is going on?! I was in bed late (to 8:30), but now I am bored. I am checking on the girls every 15 minutes or so wondering when one of them is going to wake up and to make sure they are still here - NO SOUNDS OR NOTHING!

Today is a very odd day!

Timmy's Surgery

2009-02-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

Before. Notice the flat nostril and crookedness of the nose...

After. This is day one. You can see the gauze that was stuffed in his nose.But look at the size and shape of the nostrils - so much better!

Today was a big day for Timmers. He went under the knife to get his nose fixed. For those of you who do not know, Tim has a deviated septum, or a flat unusable nostril. The surgery is comprised of three different "procedures" all wrapped in one to make his nose better than new!

We met with the Nurse and Anesthesiologist this morning around 7:00 am, and at 7:45 am they took him back for the procedure. Tim was so anxious last night that he only managed to sleep for 45 minutes and then he told the Anesthesiologist that he weighs more than he really does to get a bigger dose. Well, it worked! Two hours later the surgery was done, but Tim would not wake up. He finally awoke a few hours later, tried to eat and drink, then the nurse came out to get me. At that point, it was 11:30 or so.

I tried to talk to him, but as the Doctor said, he was still very much drugged up, so I did not get too much of a response. The Doctor told me the surgery went great! It took less than two hours, there were no complications and that Tim was great. I had to laugh to myself at the last part because, how could Tim not be a great patient - he was knocked out! Nonetheless, I was proud of my man and ready to take him home.

It was very clear that Tim was still very tired because he was asleep through most of the ride home from Palo Alto. When we got home, I changed his gauze, he drank a little bit of water and before I knew it, he was deep breathing and asleep. He is now awake, in some pain, but for the most part, he is doing great. Eventually I will get a picture of his nose bandaged, but I do not know if his mood is right just yet.

Kat was lucky enough to spend last night, today, tomorrow and possible some of Thursday with her cousin, Auntie and Uncle in Sacramento. If she were here, I do not know what I would have done with her. By the progress report Kat and Andi gave, Kat is happier than she has been in a long time. Tim and I miss her but happy she is not here - she would be so confused and worried.

DAY 2
Another trip to the Dr made Tim a bit apprehensive, but with reason. (I am about to get a little detailed, so if you are "easily queezed" then I suggest you skip this part.) The Dr was removing the gauze from his nostrils, so now all the varying fluids are running freely. Since he is not allowed to blow his nose, he is constantly wiping up the mess. Every hour he has to squirt meds up his nose, and every other hour he also has to swab his nostrils with meds. Poor baby.

He is being very tough throughout this process. The pain is there, the annoyances are present, but yet he stays quiet playing his Wii games, plays on the computer or watches the Discovery Channel.

DAY 3
Similar to yesterday, Tim is recovering and doing the hourly treatments to his nose. The difference today was Kat. I picked up Kat in Sacramento this morning and brought her home. First of all, she had so much fun with her Auntie, Uncle and Cousin, that the last half hour of the ride she said, "I don't want to go home....but I want to see Daddy.".
When she first saw Tim, she was scared - she held onto me very tightly and wore a serious face. I felt horrible because Tim knew the look and immediately said, "I am scaring you, aren't I? I am so sorry, Kat!" The end of the day, she understood it a little better, but honestly, I do not understand why she reacted the way she did. Now, all you can see is a large bandage on his nose. He does sound a little different but nothing to be scared of. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

DAY 4
The same as yesterday, he is doing the hourly routine. That biggest change would be Kat. She ignored his bandages until 3:00 this afternoon and said she had a boo boo on her nose too. She sat in his lap and gave him kisses a few times today, so I would say we are back to normal there!

DAY 5, 6, 7
The same as Day 4. Headaches are getting worse, but his appetite is back to normal. Day 7 the stitches come out. He did not realize that he had splints still in his nose, so the Dr took those out with the stitches and with some other things. So now Tim can breathe!!! He said he got light-headed all day because he is not used to that much air coming in through his nose. So, after feeling better, he decided to go to school. He will have missed only one day of all his various classes. I am very proud of him for going out and doing that!

Wicked

2009-02-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wow! Last night my Mother-in-Law took me to see Wicked in San Francisco and it was better than words can describe.

We started out with dinner at a restaurant call Max's, which was fantastic. The food was great, but we did not eat half of it. They serve you such large portions that neither one of us could eat our share. So fortunately and unfortunately, desert was out!

Timing worked out well for us, too. We rode in on BART, walked to the restaurant, walked to the show and had about 5 to 10 minutes to sit and talk more before the show started.

The set was amazing. When it started, for some very odd reason, I started getting teary-eyed. It was just that good! All I can say is that I truly loved it, did not want it to end, was amazed, impressed, and everyone should go!

Thank you so very very very much, Mom Cari! I owe you big time!

Happy Memories

2009-02-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

There are a few things that I want to always remember, but I do not know if I will, so I will post it here to make it into a book at some point.

Wrestling: Tim was a huge fan and it was not until after we were married that I knew this. Granted, he is not nearly as into it as he used to be. Nonetheless, he has taught Kat some moves and Kat now knows them all. She loves to body slam, the helicopter and a few more (I do not know them). It is adorable to hear her laugh as Tim throws her around and she tackles him. Both are all laughs when they play.Kat is being "Body Slammed" by Daddy

"It's Lerwa, not Werwa!" - Kat and Allie where in the car one day and Allie was trying to get my attention. She can't say my name very well, so she calls me "Werwa". In the car, I hear her say my mane a few times and then Kat chimes in. She says exactly, "Allie, it not Werwa, it Lerwa, OK!...It Lerwa not Werwa, Allie." I started laughing so hard. I am pleased to say after Kat hearing that story a few times as I told family and friends that Kat can now say my name perfectly; Allie is getting better as well.

Horse Rides - Kat loves to get on our backs and ride around the house. To turn me into a horse she usually uses her Fairy Godmother wand from Cinderella, recites a few words and hits the button, turning me into a horse! With me, we climb up and down the bed as she tries to hang on. Every once in a while I might try to buck her off, go fast, or go really slow. No matter what I do, she laughs and laughs. With Tim, it is nothing but him bucking her off. She goes flying off his back onto the bed and she begs and begs for more.

Climb - This makes my family nervous, especially the grandmothers. She will hold onto my hands and climb up me from my shins to shoulders. Once she is on my shoulders, she will reach for the ceiling with one hand and then do a back flip. This can go on and on and on. I love being her jungle gym.

Falling Down - Yet another bed game favorite of Kat. We will be playing or talking on the bed and then she will instruct Tim or me to fall off. Of course, she has to push us off. Once we fall, she wants us to cry and be sad so she can make us feel all better! It is cute, but when it is her turn to fall, she usually does not want to cry and be sad, she just wants the kisses for her fake boo boos.

Basket Ride - She loves to go for a ride around the house in the clothes basket. She will ride around all day if you let her, and spinning! Anything spinning will get her happy! We started doing these when Tim was gone, and we were in Washington. Since then she asks every time she sees it!

Spinning - We have an office chair that spins quite nicely. Kat figured this out and now that is another thing she sees and just has to spin in. It got to the point where Tim and I would carry on a conversation with Kat giggling in the background. If it were just Tim or I pushing her, the conversation would get a bit dull, so now we make her sing. This is one guaranteed way that she will sing for us, now that she has developed shyness. I am not sure where that came from!

Airplane - A classic! Kat has gotten better at extending her arms and legs. She will even try to navigate the plane, which is Tim's job. All that will do is make her fall and laugh!

The Airplane

There are so many more, but for now, those are all things we enjoyed as a family this morning, so they are fresh in my mind.

Lake Tulloch...Dr. Visit

2009-02-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

Last year, around the same time, we (my family) went to my dad's friend's cabin at Lake Tulloch up by Copperopolis. It is an awesome cabin and so much fun! This time was a little different, instead of Kat and I, my parents, my brother Hogan and his girlfriend, there were a lot more! Two of my mom's cousins came with their families, so it was packed! There were 16 of us total.

The highlight of the trip was a day at the snow - or an hour at the snow. When Kat was an itty bitty baby, it was clear that there were a few things that she does not like - grass, snow and sand. All three things made her scream and fight her way out like nothing you would believe. Quite comical actually. OK, so she got over grass in about a year, and just a few months she played in the sand happily, so we thought maybe she is over her fear of snow as well. There was only one way to find out...and we did. The verdict was in - SHE LOVES IT! Yeah! She could not get enough. The funny thing is, she was OK with it to begin with, then she started disliking the snow, and once we made the snowman and needed to decorate it, it was the pine cones that made her love the snow. I am not sure how, or why, but once she placed them on the snowman, she was throwing snow at us all and walking in it happily. Of course, today she said she wanted to go back, just like yesterday and the day before! She is an odd little lady, but so cute!

TODAY
Kat and I have been sick since a few days after our spaghetti feed last month. After that day, we seemed to be around sick little ones all the time, not to mention the little girl I take care of twice a week was super ill! In any case, Kat's ears started hurting while we were there with the altitude changed, so today we went to the doctor.

The Dr. was amazed at how well Kat did with her. Kat did everything she was asked to do and did not complain. She must have asked me about four times is she was really only two! She would say, "but her vocabulary!" or "but she is so advanced" or "and she is so well behaved!..." It made me feel great. It made me so happy, that I did not ask what she suggested to do to help her feel better...that and she thinks Kat may have pneumonia!

After the Dr., Kat and I went to a different office where she got her first x-ray. I was not sure how they expected a two-year old to hold still for two photos, but Kat did it! Afterward the technician showed us the pictures. I have no idea if she does have pneumonia and the technician did not say anything either. Nonetheless, I am very proud of her. I told her she could have whatever she wanted to eat when we got home as a reward. Do you know what she chose??? "Life Cereal!" We have ice cream and chocolate, but yet she wants more cereal. Funny girl!

So now, we should find tomorrow if she does have pneumonia or not... The Dr. called me later that day to say, "Yes! She has pneumonia!" Well, Kat proved that Dr wrong! She is still very happy considering her illness.

Lame Post

2009-02-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

Honestly - I would not even read this. I basically want to brag about the fact that I filed my taxes already...I would have done it sooner but employers can take a while to mail those things out!

In reading other people's blogs, I can say, I relate. One, to not feeling like I accomplish much at all. Two, kids did seem to have had this rebellion thing going for a while - toddler conspiracy?! Three, I have been tagged. Four, there is a lot to be appreciative for. There are so many more, but those are the ones that have stuck out in my mind the past week or so.

Regarding my first item on the list; accomplishments - yeah, I am lame. The whole family is sick so doing anything on my to-do list is just happening due to my super-slow snail pace. I did, however, complete one thing that is easy to do while ill - taxes! I am done!!! That is nice to not worry or think about that any more, plus we are now one step closer to more dinero. The next thing I hope to accomplish is the gardening out front...all the bushes are hideous and embarrassing. I have until September 14th to accomplish that goal - we'll see if I can make it!

Regarding the third item on the list; tagged - I refuse to participate. First of all, it would take me about 4 hours to think of that many favorites for me.I am just not a "favorite" kind of gal. The post requests tv shows, things done the previous day (that would not be interesting at all with a family of sickies), things I look forward to, favorite restaurants, wish list items, and eight more people to tag. I am honored that I was chosen, but I am not into enough of those things to select favorites, or imaginative. Sorry, Fen! I love you, but I can't!

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

To The Love of My Life:

Happy Birthday! I love you!

I am so happy to be sharing this wonderful day with you (even though this post is a few days late). You are my love, my best friend, my inspiration, my mentor, my psychiatrist, my bed-warmer, my gamer, my nerd. You are the best father any child could want or need. You are a son to be proud of. You are a loving, helpful, uplifting grandson and nephew. You are a super-fun and oh, so silly uncle. Your cousins are the luckiest to have been raised so close to you. Employers were lucky to have you. You are a loyal, devoted friend who knows how to have fun, say all the right things and host great parties. And so the list could go on, but I am sure you get the point. Not only am I lucky enough to be your wife, but I have had you as a best friend for years before and know you better than most. I am proud to be your wife and for you to be my husband. Thank you for all the love you give to me and Kat. And thank you to your parents for having you 29 years ago and raising you the way they did.

I love you!

Wow! What a weekend!

2009-01-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY

Tim and I LOVE games! We do not have the largest collection, but we have a nice variation of games. On Friday, we invited a bunch of our friends (mainly ones from high school) to come over, eat spaghetti and play games. Tim and I never expected that so many people would come. It was a compliment to have so many people crammed in our little home.

We were only able to play two games: Backseat Drawing (a twisted version of Pictionary) and Catch Phrase. Most of the time we visited because it had been a long time since we had seen a lot of our friends or for some of them, it was the first time meeting some of our guests! All in all, I think we all enjoyed ourselves; even the kids!

SATURDAY

In the a.m. Rachael come over and we rode together to Shyla's second birthday party. A lot of our friends who were over the night before were also at the Bess' home, which made the party even more fun for us! The party was great, there were a lot of kids running around and for the most part, I think every kid was perfectly happy - I only heard one little one cry and that was because his father was disciplining him. We all had a great time!

That night, our friends came over for dinner and Wii games; the Hunters. Kat is in love with their son and their daughter is very easy going (good for the pushy Kat). At one point all the kids were in Kat's room laughing for a half an hour. I thought Tim or Angela was in the room with them, but they were completely by themselves playing with huge blocks. Later, Tim thought of Kat's dress-up clothes. He got out the box and dressed up the two girls, then realized that Calvin did not have anything to dress-up with, so he got out some of his Army gear. The girls were princesses and he was the prince rescuing them. Wow, that was adorable!

SUNDAY

I was sick all Sunday - I guess I ate way too much the night before followed by sleep. My poor belly kept me up all night and all day I was frequenting the bathroom. NOT fun! However, we had a family party that night at Tim's parents house with all the family. I knew Kat was looking forward to seeing the family and Marin was really looking forward to seeing Kat! I did not want to be sick alone and knowing it was most likely not contagious, we went, as soon as I knew we had a big enough opening to do so. The party was great and everyone enjoyed themselves. I enjoyed napping most of the night, unable to move!

This weekend was wonderful, but I did not take any pictures! What is wrong with me?! Maybe someone else did and I can snatch a few!

Hooray for President Obama!

2009-01-20T19:11:00.000-08:00

I admit that I did not vote for any presidential nominee in November because I felt that McCain and Obama were equally great candidates. It was fun to see clips of all the excited fans gathering to watch the Presidential Inauguration from all over the country and world. With the media coverage since the election, it seems to me that Obama is taking his job more serious that the past few elected Presidents. With all the hardships of the economy and the war, I think he is going to do whatever is best for the people - not himself like other Presidents.

This election is historical and I am proud to be a part of it and to share this with Kat. If you ask her who the new President is, she will answer, "Obama!". I want her to remember how amazing this election is and what it means to the future of America.

Regardless of how you voted, I hope that you support our President as I do!

Beautiful

2009-01-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

Our friend, Nicki is going to take our pictures on Saturday and so I thought I should figure out how to do my hair. It was super "poofy", creating a triangle shaped hair-do, so I got it cut. It is rare that I will like my haircut, and this is NOT one that I like. So, I am stuck.

I tried curling just the ends to make it a bit softer. No such luck. I tried curling all of it (which takes forever because I have so much of it) - once again - a no-go! So, tomorrow I will try to flat-iron it and see if that works. If not, it is going back in a pony like always. Why can't you live here, Nette?

In trying to do my hair, I also did Kit-Kat's. First I tried curling her naturally curly hair with a curling iron - not so much. So, I wet it and put gel in it - presto - super easy curls that will hold. I put some ribbon in her hair, a dress that needs ironing on, and said - I have to take pictures NOW.

Ants!

2009-01-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Lets go back to the 80's, shall we? The house we are in now was built, my grandparents bought it, and moved in. When they moved in, word got around in the critter world. Needless to say, as the years progressed, so did the bug inhabitants. Fast forward a few years to 2004. When I would clean the house for my grandpa, there would be cans of various bug killers in every room; especially the bathrooms. Well, back to now, we have seen why. The ants seem to be the winner of the house take-over situation. However, since we have been here, and because Tim and I have been cleaning so much since we've been here, the carpets have been replaced, and walls painted, it seems most of the bugs cared to exit: thankfully!

To take care of this ant situation, Tim has done some research online about ants. For one, did you know that ants need water? I suppose this is why the hang out in the bathrooms more so than anywhere else. Also, there is one particular ant killer that was originally used for commercial companies, but now it available to the public for purchase. This stuff is like water, but it kills them. The goal is for them to take some back to the colonies and feed them. It has been a few weeks since we set up the traps and all the ants are gone from everywhere in and around the house, except the master bathroom. It is very clear how they get in, but now we are wondering how many colonies we have feed; or poisoned. In the time that we have done this, we have seen hundreds and hundreds of ants pooled around the traps and yesterday there were only four!

Is it possible that the end is near? I do not know, but it seems that way. For those of you that might be coming over next weekend, I hope that you are not scared. I actually feel pretty good knowing how few bugs there are around here now!

New Years with the Shupes

2009-01-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

Tim's brother-in-law is a teacher, so he has a lot of time off during the holidays. Therefore, our families decided that we should get together for New Years and spend a few days at the Shupe residence. To start, we met up at 6 Flags in Vallejo, spending the day in the cold and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. The following day (New Year's Eve) we saw Bedtime Stories, played lots of fun games, and relaxed. Tim and I actually made it up past midnight! This is the first since we were engaged (sad, I know). We played a few more games in the am of the new year, slept and played more games on New Year's Day! It was a lot of fun. What could be better - great company, great food, giggles from two adorable girls, naps and lots of laughter!?

Happy New Year Everyone!

After Christmas Fun

2009-01-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

In getting together with family as much as possible, we planned a few activities to get the families together more.

1. Bowling

2. Ice Skating and the Embarcadero

3. Pottery Painting

4. 6 Flags in Vallejo
5. Seeing Christmas Lights
6. Fenton's
7. Games
8. Movies
9. SNOWBOARDING!

I am sure there are more, but for now, that is all I have.

Ice Skating in San Francisco

Kat and Santa Clause

Tim and Lora on the lift to snowboard!

Kat dancing with Bugs at Six Flags

Cousins hugging and so happy!

Christmas Time

2008-12-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

...and with that means a lot of fun activities,spending a lot of time with family, wearing lot of red and green, decorating Christmas trees and eating far too many sweets. All of which I absolutely love!

For the first time since high school, I have decorated a REAL Christmas tree! Honestly, my parents have a fake one and so do Tim's parents and the previous years Tim and I did not bother getting a tree since we would not be at home to appreciate it. Tim's parents decided that since we were going to be home to celebrate Christmas, it is only right to have a Christmas tree. That and Tim's mom has gotten Kat two snowman ornaments annually and this is one great way to show off and appreciate the ornaments. Thank you two very much!

Christmas Eve was spent with my family and because our original plans included going to Tahoe and spending a week in a cabin, we decided to do more activities around home that we would all enjoy...those that wanted or could come were more than welcome!

The first activity was on Christmas Eve - Decorating Graham Cracker Houses. We did not use gingerbread because baking would make one more step, constructing the house would be a lovely challenge and because it would be fun for everyone. Tim and I helped build two houses for the youngest ones to decorate while the older members of the family had to construct their own house and then decorate it. Jodi was the judge and in all there were 10 decorating participants. Tim made the Pentagon with a Striker and I made a cute little shack.

After the decorating and judging was over, we headed in for food and the gift exchange game. For the first year since we started playing this game several years ago, I think we finally got the instructions of the game correct. Previous years we would be playing for seriously up to four hours! Yeah, that is just too long. This year the game lasted about 45 minutes which gave us more time to eat, socialize and play other games.

Christmas Day was spent with Tim's family, and the following day as well. Christmas was a lot of fun. In the morning our little trio family and Tim's parents awoke to a few presents to open. Tim got me a beautiful cozy sweater and scarf. I got Tim the storage thing on his scooter (which is also next years gift and all gifts in between!). Kat opened a game Tim and I bought her along with a few Wonder Pets toys from the grandparents which she plays with ALL the time. Her new favorite, I would say! After the gifts it was time to eat Breakfast Burritos! Tim's mom makes these every year on Christmas morning and we all get super full, exchange our greetings, play, talk and all while in our jammies! What could be better. The afternoon was nap-time for everyone and later that evening, we headed to Tim's Aunt and Uncle's for dinner. Wow. I think that was the winner for Christmas time food. It was delicious! We played the gift exchange game here as well and had a merry time.

Disneyland!

2008-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

This week, Tim and I took Kat to Disneyland for her first time! It was a special occasion aside from it being Kat's first trip, but to also see a good friend, Louis, and his family!

Louis is from Ireland and worked here in the Bay Area for a short time about 5 years ago. While he was here, Tim and Louis quickly became the best of friends doing everything together! It has been a long time since we've seen him, so we would do anything to meet up with him again! They came to the States for Laura's brother's wedding in Arizona, making a detour in SoCal. Knowing that was the case, we decided the only day our two families could get together would be the day they planned on going to Disneyland..bummer, right?!

Laura has a blog as well, so I felt like we had known each other for a while; that and all the emails trying to plan something while they were here! It was great being in one of the happiest places on earth with people you thoroughly enjoyed.

They have a son, Jonah, who is as adorable as a little boy could be, who seemed to love everything he saw. With him and Kat not being old enough or tall enough to go on the more adult rides, like Indiana Jones, we were able to take turns riding and being with the kids. It was very nice to have that as an option for us considering the next day, Tim and I would be swapping amongst ourselves!

THE HIGHLIGHTS
Kat - Playhouse Disney Live on Stage, Riding Dumbo, meeting the princesses, riding the carousel, seeing Buzz Lightyear, fireworks and the parade, meeting Tigger, just to name a few.
Lora - The Pixar Parade, seeing Kat's reaction to the Playhouse Disney Live, Lady Tremaine and her two daughters at the Disneyland Parade, and Tower of Terror.
Tim - Tower of Terror, seeing Louis and his family, the new Pirates of the Caribbean additions, Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion, and Kat's reaction to Playhouse Disney Live.

STORIES
Playhouse Disney Live on Stage - At California Adventures, they offer a lot of shows, one of which was a show that Kat loved - the Playhouse Disney Live featuring; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and My Friends Tigger and Pooh . Kat was so excited when the puppets came up from under the stage that she jumped out of my lap, ran for the stage and started spinning. She was spinning so fast and with so much enthusiasm, that she fell! The people around us started laughing and then she started making it for the stairs to go up on stage. I snagged her at that point and poor thing kept asking to "go upstairs!" I do not know if I have ever seen her that excited!

Disney Princess Fantasy Faire - For those of you who do not know, they have a blocked off area where you can meet three princesses. There is a similar set-up with the Tinkerbell and her friends called Pixie Hollow. In any case, Kat was so excited and she was beaming the whole time we waited (about 20 minutes). When she saw Princess Jasmine she got a little bashful, so she stood there, holding her hands down by her belly, looked at the Princesses and smiled a huge smile! Kat has never been the best girl to pose for pictures, but she did an excellent job this time - she would sit there, hands down, smiling so pretty, looking at each of the cameras and sitting still. She met Jasmine, Cinderella and Snow White as well as Tinkerbell and Rosetta.
Pixar Play Parade - At California Adventure, just as we were walking Louis, Laura and Jonah out of the park, the parade began. We got a perfect seat with nobody in front of us and enjoyed the parade. The characters were as if they came out of the movies - very well done and enjoyable for all ages. It is a must-see!

Matterhorn - Kat is tall enough to ride this roller coaster, can you believe that? The first part of the ride is dark, so she held onto me with the tightest grip! I asked her if she was scared and she said no, and she had a smile on her face. Confused little girl! At the end of the ride she said it was so fun, but that she did not want to go again. About five minutes later, she asked to go again. She is so funny!
I can't wait to go again, there was a lot that we missed and would love to do again! Maybe in three years...hopefully not that long!

Thanksgiving Week

2008-12-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving week was full of family, used tissues, skits, talents, food, museums, laughter, coughs, sneezing, sleeping and so much more. Basically, it was loads of fun while being "super-sickies".

Tim's brother, Mickey, and his wife, Cherish, came to Cali for a week from Utah. With them being in town, Tim's sister and her family came down from Sacramento. On Thanksgiving day, we stayed in Pleasanton and had a traditional Thanksgiving at my parents' house in Pleasanton. We ate, and ate, and played Pictionary (I lost again), and ate some more. For "Black Friday", Tim stayed in line at Office Depot and scored some good school necessities while Kat and I slept. Following Tim's eventful morning, they both went back to Alameda to be with Tim's family for the semi-traditional Thanksgiving. First, they went to the newly renovated Academy of Science Museum in San Fransisco while I stayed home, read and SLEPT! It was wonderful. Everyone had a great time. Afterwards, Tim picked me up and we went to Alameda for the traditional Thanksgiving feast at the non-traditional time of 6:00! It was a blast!

And so on and so on with the events that took place and the sicknesses that were had. All in all, we had a fabulous time with family (when do we not?!) and can't wait to get the whole Wilcock family together again.

Here is a picture of the Wilcock family members who participated in the talent show...

I LOVE being a Mommy

2008-11-15T20:16:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those great days where Kat and I did not have a bad moment together. I suppose lately she has been getting into terrible two's. I am not too sure about that - either her terribleness is tolerable or they have not hit yet - both are very possible. Either way, the last few weeks she has been defiant and trying me in every way telling me she wants to go on time out and has fun when she is in trouble. What?! She is very confused.

However, like I stated, today was NOT one of those days. Daddy is gone on one of his weekend commitments with the National Guard and Allie does not come over on the weekends, so maybe she decided to soak in the "Mommy and Me Time" while she could. The reason does not matter, what does matter is that she did everything I told her and we had a blast. All throughout the day she would say, "Mommy, I love you SOOOO much!" At times she would say it rather loud but it just made me even more proud. Also, when she is happy, she sings, so in the stores she was singing a bit too loud and out of key, but happy nonetheless.

One of the stores we went shopping at finally had what I was looking for! Kat loves to sing and her cousin has a microphone that Kat loved playing with when she was there. Due to the lack of stores that do not have microphones, I can assume there are not a lot of mom's who want their children to have their child's volume magnified, but I do! It has taken me months of looking in every store which I have been in and today I found one that worked. It is Hannah Montana brand which will make Tim cringe, but Kat when crazy with it when we got home! She danced and sang (with if off unfortunately) and put on a mini concert just for me! Some songs were the classics, however, some were ones on the radio I am sure she had never heard before, but a few words would stand out to her and she'd sing those words over and over until new ones came to mind. Adorable, simply adorable!

I just had an absolute blast with her and felt as though I should share that with everyone.

Allie and Kathryn

2008-11-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I decided to let the girls go crazy in the back with bubbles and chalk. It was too gorgeous outside to pass and the girls were anxious to get out there. I know that Kat has not had much chalk experience, but I am guessing that Allie did not either. The two of them held onto the chalk, but did not do anything with it - they walked over to the gazebo, sad down and looked at me as if to say, "What next?!" I took my chalk and drew something lame on the ground, and that is when the creativity began.

After the thrill of being allowed to draw on the floor - or anything outside for that matter - wore off, we started making bubbles. Both girls are huge fans, and the perfect combination as well. Allie loves to walk around blowing bubbles while Kat loves to pop them! Kat would follow Allie, or stay near me and pop our bubbles. Tim joined us and used the chalk to draw some beautiful pieces of art! He really is artistically talented!

I decided to get out the camera and get a few shots of the girls. At one point, they sat in the leaves, after tromping through them, and Tim shook the tree to make it rain leaves. I love how they are holding hands throughout most of pictures.

As for these two pictures below, I can't decide on my favorite. I just wish I had done her hair that day, but Kat was too excited to play with Allie to sit long enough for me to comb her hair. Oh, well! Allie was not at all interested in laying down on the ground for a picture!

She is a cutie!

Happy Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T15:09:00.001-08:00

Las Positas Soldiers at the Warrior's Game

Thank you to all who have served our country and those who are still serving. I know the dedication and sacrifices it takes to do so and I truly appreciate the willingness you all have to protect this wonderful country!

To celebrate this year, Tim and Lora will be going to the Warrior's Basketball game in Oakland! I am excited by this because Tim gets to be on stage before the game starts participate a gift exchange with the players. I am not sure how many Soldiers are involved, but Tim gets to be one. The Blue Star Moms have put on this event, so my thanks and appreciation for them and all of their hard work. If you do not know much about Blue Star Moms, you should look into it; they are a great organization fully devoted to the Soldiers.

www.bluestarmothers.org

Pictures are to come after the ceremony, so look them soon!

Thank you again for all of those how are serving and have served this country! Happy Veteran's Day!

The pictures are not one I am too proud of because they were standing in front of a lit background, so here is the best I have so far. A professional photographer was at the game taking pictures and they said we would get a cd of pictures, so I am waiting on those.

The group of soldiers participating in the gift exchange

Enjoy the video of the soldiers participating in the gift exchange with the players.

Lora's New Job

2008-11-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

Aside from being a mom and a wife, I now take care of a little girl three days a week. Over the past few months it has become more and more evident that Kathryn is in desperate need of a playmate. For one, she will talk to walls, light posts, and pretend to be everyone she is not and that means I get to play different roles as well. She talks about her friends up in Washington A LOT, but there is not much can be done to see Rhubarb the Reindeer or Emily. Therefore, I began my search for a job where we could make a little bit of extra income and give Kat someone to play with.

I went online and was surprised at the lack of need. There were a few that needed someone for an hour or two a day, but I wanted more than that! I looked in the papers and could not find any. So, I decided to network. I would tell friends what I wanted to do, and a good friend of mine knew of someone that was in need; her sister-in-law. We got in contact and last week concluded my second week! I love it. There is a lot that Kat needs to learn, but she is getting there. For example, she is not very good at sharing and she loves rough play a little too much, so poor Allie does not realize she is trying to have fun, but instead thinks she is being pushed out of malice or for not good reason. As for my second example, it somewhat coincides with the first; consequences for actions. Kat does not take discipline well and she has a very hard time apologizing. My final example is that Kat needs to learn how to share Mommy. This is a hard one for her, jealousy runs strong in her veins. But like I said, it will take time and for now I hover over the girls to make sure Allie is not being roughened more than necessary. Every day seems to get a little easier for Kat.

You can see the pictures of Allie and Kat playing in the back yard. What started out as playing with bubbles, turned into watering the plants (for Allie) and playing with soaking wet leaves (for Kat). We also went to the zoo, it was an overcast, chilly, crowded day, but the girls had a lot of fun exploring the Meerkat Tunnel, riding in my single stroller together and the tigers most. Allie loves to try to buckle herself in her carseat and Kat decided to sit on her lap. It was so cute how Allie just hugged her as she did so. Kat talks about Allie every day. She wants to play with Allie all the time and now when she is gone, I have to pretend to be Allie.

Updates

2008-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have published pictures of the house and yard. There is still a lot that has to be done, but I am going at a much slower pace - I have been going very slow since Kat's birthday party.

As for our family updates, Tim is still unemployed, but he knows a little about what he wants to do for a future career. One, he would love to be a Landscape Architect or Landscape Engineer. Schooling for either career one would be a Bachelors or Masters Degree. I do not think he will go so far to get his Masters. As for his second job, he would love to be a Fire Fighter. Schooling for this would be only two years for an Associates Degree, but the program is offered about about every college, making it much easier than the two schools that offer the Landscaping degrees. So, he is looking for a great job that will last through school and become a Fire Fighter. After that is done, he will continue to attend college for the landscaping career. Therefore, the landscaping career would be more of a hobby-love job.

I hope you can tell the before and after pictures apart from one another. There are three sets of pictures - the fruit tree before then after, the planter box before than after, and lastly the gazebo before and after. We never did get a before picture of the front, otherwise you would have seen a lot of changes there too. Nonetheless, there will be more updates regarding house in the near future (hopefully).

Happy Halloween! plus updates

2008-11-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, but I thought we would post some pictures of our Halloween.

[(A SIDE NOTE) Tim and I have decided that we are cursed when it comes to Trick-or-Treaters. The first year we were married, we only had one "treater", the second year it was two, the third year we were at Tim's parents and we had less than a handful, and finally, this year we had only four! Is Trick-or-Treating going out of style? Are people too paranoid to gather candy from strangers? Whatever the case is, I love getting dressed up and seeing others dress as well. I hope next year we will see others in their costumes more. ]

This year Tim was home, so we had the Hoxies over for movies, pizza and to do a little Trick-or-Treating ourselves. Kat went to a few family and friends houses last year, so she somewhat knew of what to expect - candy. This year it was Tessa's first time and she was hilarious. First of all, her costume was adorable. Nicki made her into a beautiful little flower and unlike most kids, Tessa loved her flower pedals on her head, refusing to take them off.

We decided to hit up a few houses in our neighborhood before setting off with my parents to the John Madden home where rumor had it, he gave out HUGE candy bars. In any case, we started at one neighbors house, and nobody was home, so we went to the next house where Tessa knocked on the door and within two seconds she had thrown the door open, making her way into the house. That is correct, Tessa walked into this stranger's house. About ten feet in, the owner looked at her in surprise. Tessa looked back up at him and she said Hello. He asked her how she was and she replied, Good, throwing her bag in his face, looking for the candy. Coincidentally, he gave the girls Kit-Kat bars!

We did go to the Madden house, and yes, they do in fact give out HUGE candy bars - one half pound of Hershey's Chocolate. Not only did Kat and Tessa get their own candy bar, but Tim did as well! Why I did not not is beyond me, but I think this house is better off with only one pound of chocolate as opposed to one and a half pound!

It was a fun and laughter filled night. Thank you to the Hoxies for coming over and brightening our nights!

Kathryn's Saturday Party Spectacular

2008-10-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

This party was a lot of fun. Tim and I have spent too much time prepping the house and the backyard for the party. We had a lot of fun activities planned for the kids and I think all that came enjoyed themselves.
For starters, we had a wonderful lunch - maybe too much lunch for some of us, if you know what I mean! There were several different types of pizza, nachos, fruit salad, green salad, candies, brownies, cookies made to look like witch's brooms, "witch's hats", "Mormon Punch", peanut butter and jelly or banana, chips and dip, etc.Once the guests arrived and ate, the true fun began. It was cake time. I made a homemade ice cream cake designed to look like a pumpkin. Once again, Kat had a difficult time blowing out the candles, so Kaylee gave some assistance, but once again, Mommy pulled through blowing out the candles! Kat had to remove a finger-full of frosting off every slice as I cut and distributed the slices. Once the kids were done getting their sugar fix, we had game time.
Tim gathered the kids around, which consisted of Kat, cousin Marin, cousin Kaylee, Kai, and Gregory, for a "Spider Hunt". During Easter, there is the traditional Easter Egg Hunt which is always a huge hit with kids of all ages, and considering the ages varied from around two years old to about five years old, we found this one very fitting. Turns out, kids like hunting for things. Tim told the kids that spider rings were hidden all around the yard, whoever found one with a key would open the hidden treasure. All the kids ran about the yard in search of different spider rings. Once Marin found the key and the last spider was found, Marin opened the Treasure Chest. Inside was money, water and apples.
The key unlocked the next game of fun - Bobbing for Apples! This was more for adults, where only three were successful in obtaining an apple. Among the "Bobbers" were Tim, Lora, Holly (Lora's cousin), Scott, Rachel (Holly's sister), and Andi (Tim's sister). The three winners were Tim, Scott and Andi. Scott used the suction method while Andi and Tim submerged their heads completely underwater. Kat an Kaylee also tried, but like Lora, were not successful, instead, the submerged their hands and began eating the apples. As long as they were happy, I was too!
Next on the list of fun was the pinata. I love pinatas, in fact every year when I was young, I would go to my Aunt and Uncle's house for a Halloween party. They would go all out decorating their house which was a lot of fun for us kids. The other part of the fun was hitting the pinata. I made a pinata a few months ago, found it easy, so I made one for the party and turned it into a pumpkin witch. The kids all had their turns hitting the pinata and with Daddy's help, on Kat's second round, she opened the pinata. The kids were very good about not grabbing too many things. Most of the kids would grab one item, take it to their parents and were done. It was very cute.
Lastly, we opened presents. Kathryn received a lot of wonderful gifts! We all had a wonderful time and finished the afternoon with an hour at the park going down the 50 foot slide here in Pleasanton with Holly, Kaylee, Rachel, Grandma, Tutu and Mommy. A great time was had by all but I am looking forward to not working on the house or yard for a long time!
Our Guests: Grandma and Grandad aka "Cowgirl" and "Total Loser", Tutu and Pops aka Cat and Pinocchio, Andi, Marin aka Nurse, Holly, Kaylee aka Cinderella, Fenima with a beautiful pink wig, Scott aka Neo, Malachi aka Spiderman, Shawn and Aubrey aka Fat Tourists, Gregory aka Pumpkin, Rachel, Joe, December and Cassidy, and Tim, Lora and Kat as the Flintstones.

Happy Birthday to Kathryn!

2008-10-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

I am in shock - my daughter is TWO YEARS OLD! My oh my, how fast that happened. Last night we had family over to celebrate her birthday. It was so much fun. Kathryn had a birthday party on Monday for her cousin Kenna, so it was a reminder to her of how fun it is to have a birthday - cake, gifts, fun - what could be better?!

And to make me proud, on Monday, she went to whole day in undies. That is right, I am finishing the potty training finally. Today is day three, and she had one accident during her party last night, but with all the excitement, I understand. Besides, accidents will happen!

Back to the birthday fun - when Kat saw her cake, she was so excited, she asked, "Is this Kit-Kat cake?" We all laughed and assured her it was all hers to share. Kat had a difficult time blowing out her candle, so her cousin, Kaylee assisted, only to need more help, so I offered to help. It was a pretty low-key party because we did not do too much in the way of decorating. I made a sign for her, baked a Carrot Cake and had ice cream for everyone.

It was fun showing off the house. Tim and I are anxious for Kat's big party on Saturday with her friends. Tim and I have been spending a lot of time prepping the house, backyard, planning games, "Halloweenee" foods, and getting decorations for the party. It should be a blast!

Happy Birthday, Kathryn! Your Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the wonderful girl you have become. We look forward to the years to come with our little angel!

Kenna, Kathryn and Kaylee devouring their cakes (Kenna had just finished).

Kat loved her clothes! She gave us all a lot of ooh's and awe's.

weekend fun

2008-10-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Kat and I visited Bogey and Becky. Kat loves dogs, in fact we asked her if she wanted a brother, sister or dog and she replied "Doggie!!!" which is cute, but a bit surprising.

We also went to see Becky's soccer game. That was a blast as well. After her game, Kat and I used the field to practice kicking goals. Kat did well and seemed to have grasped the concept pretty well! Becky's game ended 1-1.

We had a lot of fun with Becky and Bogey. Tim had to work at his new job, so he was unable to make it. He wants so badly to see Kat with Bogey because when he was in Iraq I sent him a lot of videos and pictures of the two of them. She really really really LOVES Bogey. Everywhere he went, she would ask him where he was going and wanted to snuggle and sleep in his bed with him. All too adorable!

On Monday, it was my cousin, Kenna's birthday. Her and Kat are just one day and a few years apart. It was at Super Franks in Pleasanton. I had never been there, but I loved it. What a great place to have a party (very stress-free). Kat loved it so much she cried when we left. Poor thing!

Gardening

2008-10-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is our second major task. Now that the house is pretty much completed, it is time to work on the backyard. I love that there is a gazebo in the back, but ivy had taken over it. Last week, Tim and I went through and took out most of the ivy and dead rose bushes. We just need to rest a bit, wait for greens to get picked up and start over again!

Here are the before pictures and I will try to post more pictures as time progresses, but it will be a slow progression! Kat was such a great helper. Next time she will be wearing pants, however. The bugs attacked her legs!

That is half the yard, I did not have enough battery for the remainder.

Photos

2008-10-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks, a lot has changed. Tim got a job working for Sears at Stoneridge Mall. If any of you ever are in need of tools, Christmas decorations, home repair items or related, Tim is your guy!

The house is almost perfect (it most likely will be perfect when we move out!). We have had a few guests over including my parents, Tim's parents, Tim's sister and her family, and the Hoxie family. We intend to have more people over as the months continue!

I love his house. It is huge! There is so much in this house that I would love to have in a future home and it is starting to feel like home more and more.

Here are some pictures of our place at the unpacking stage.

Here is Kat's bedroom. She had toys in boxes everywhere. Poor girl still has all her toys in that big box! (not really poor girl, she can still get to most of them!)

Here is Tim and Lora's bedroom. We had boxes and paper everywhere.

Here is the kitchen. As you can see, I had not taken down pictures from the refrigerator - I finally did so after a week.

This is the living room before we moved anything in. This room is the biggest by far!

Here is the living room after we unwrapped all the pictures and moved the furniture in.

You can't tell, but this is the dining room. At one point it was nothing but a mound of boxes and paper. So much so, you could not see the light fixture hanging.

United

2008-09-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Tim, Kat and I are all in California now. Tim arrived in our car loaded with lots and lots of items in the very early morning hours. The movers will be at the house Tuesday to get us moved in! We are very excited, as is everyone in the family.

Yesterday, Tim and I spent some time in the overgrown backyard. We want to get the back cleaned up for parties and to fulfill the request my grandfather made of Tim - To get all the fruit trees bearing fruit! Kat loved being out there playing in the dirt, so I know we are going to enjoy getting dirty as a family. Pictures will be coming soon!

New Home

2008-09-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know, my Grandfather has requested that my family live in his house for a year. Having been in the military himself he knows the difficult transition of moving from military life to civilian life. When I met with him in July he said he wanted us to be the first ones to live there to show his appreciation! I am so touched by his generous offer and can't thank him enough. I visited him a few days ago and he gave Tim his first assignment - to get all the fruit trees bearing fruit again. I laughed, but he is so wise and is giving this task to Tim with good reason. A task I have added is to have rose bushes where my grandmother had wished. As for my task, I am to stay out of family drama and dig up an old metal machine from the early 1900's. It once belonged to a teacher who then gave it to him. He said that under no circumstance am I to get rid of it, but he does want it taken better care of. I am happy to honor his request and will do so after we get moved in.

As for this week, I am preparing his house for move-in. He has lived in that house for about 25 years and not once had the carpets replaced or professionally cleaned, had the grout cleaned well enough to resemble it's original white color, had a fresh coat of paint or been detailed cleaned. In the past, I would come over and clean his place for 3 hours or so, but he would always kick me out telling me I was working too hard or that it was clean enough! Oh, he is a funny old fella and always makes me laugh although it may not be unintended.

Knowing how badly the place needed to be cleaned, you can probably understand how I am going to be there every day this week! Last night I worked three and a half hours on the grout - nothing else! I still need to finish the floor then tackle the kitchen cabinets - they are quite dirty. Once that is done, I will lay down paper in the cabinets, vacuum the new carpet, floor boards, windows, etc. I am very excited but I also know I am going to be exhausted! While all this is going on, Kat gets some quality time with her other grandparent's - Tutu and Pops! Should the cleaning take me into next week, she will be spending more time with Daddy! I am anxiously looking forward to this weekend; spending time as a family again!

Back in Cali

2008-09-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

...almost. Kat and I have safely made it, but Tim awaits the moving truck in WA. He is scheduled to depart on the 11th!

This past Friday, Kat and I flew down so I could attend my cousin Rachel Hempy's wedding on Saturday. There were not accommodations for children so lucky for Kat, she stayed the weekend with Grandma and Granddad Wilcock in Alameda. Throughout the ceremony and dancing I thought of Tim constantly. Nothing takes me back to our wedding day like going to a wedding! I really wish he could have been there. Rachel and Alan both looked happier than I have ever seen them (which is difficult to top because they both have always looked so happy together). The ceremony was brief and the toasts were fantastic. I cried about 4 times that night. What is it about weddings that makes me so sobbful?

My parents reserved a room in a hotel, so that is where I stayed on Saturday night. I awoke that morning feeling like there was something I should be doing without a child or husband. Nothing came to mind. I suppose I was supposed to be relaxed but I could not help but feeling a bit helpless. Needlesstosay, we all survived the weedend without members of our immediate family by our sides.

The Latest

2008-08-17T12:41:00.001-07:00

Things are going well for us and our happy little family. We are waiting on word as to when the Army is going to move us. The 28th is they day we know for sure and then I can start planning!

Our family is happy and healthy. Kat sings to Tim and I everyday and likes to pretend that she is either Ariel or Cinderella or Belle which means Tim and I are always the Prince or Beast. We have a few movie soundtracks that she has memorized, which I have taken video of and will try to post later. Tim and I are very anxious to be done with the Army life. Tim still has ankle issues from when he sprained it a few months ago, so our family bike rides have not happened in a while, but Kat and I continue to go daily as part of my exercise/errands and for her naps.

Speaking of exercise, what I am about to mention will make me feel like a nerd, but I am proud of our latest purchase so I will share it with you and feel free to laugh at me. We purchased a Wii a few weeks ago - long story about that! Yesterday, Tim went to Best Buy to research a TV (yet another long story) and found the impossible - Wii Fit! He called me all hyped up about it because they are so hard to find and I said to buy it because who knows when the next opportunity will come. We played it for a short while last night and after the family went to bed, I played some more and then some more this morning. I am becoming addicted to it! But, I love it! We talked to my mom on the phone today and she even wants to try it after we move down to California. I hope that I will get a bit more active and tone like I once was.

A good friend of mine, Sandra, lives a block away from us here in Olympia/Lacey and she has a 13 month old daughter, Emily. Sandra's husband is deploying again so Tim and I offered to babysit Emily overnight so they could do whatever they wanted. I did not know how it was going to go, but to my surprise it was a wonderful night full of fun, laughter and 12 hours of the two sleeping without waking! I had such a blast watching them play. It will be sad to leave them behind when we return to Cali, but his family lives in Cali as well, so this will most certainly not be the last time we get together this year!

Here are some photos of our last few weeks...

Kat and Tim watching Fireworks at the Rainier's game

Take a guess...

Kat and her Beautiful Bracelets. She was showing them off to everyone at Church.
Thank you, Angela!

We spent a day at the park with some of Tim's work friends.

Here is Kat and Mary Cruz

It was a blustery day so everyone had their kites out.
Reta is in the middle (Tim's work friend), his daughter to the left and Tim on the right.

Kat's Friend Emily playing at Charlie's Safari

Kat saying, "wow!" as she jumps on a bouncy play structure

Kat loves to be thrown in the air or made dizzy, so one day the Elders were visiting and we were throwing Kat in the air - that is who you hear laughing in the background.

Kat has learned to do this funny face. Every time she does this Tim and I can't help but laugh at her.

Kat is singing to her dolly. I love hearing her sing!

Kat is teaching (or trying to) Emily a few things.