Happy Birthday to my baby!!

Today my baby turns 14. She has completely entered the age of a teenager. But, funny thing. She is kind, thoughtful, sweet and has a warped sense of humor and a love of all things scary. I was trying to remember the day she was born. It's not like her sisters day, there were no life altering events for the rest of the world. But, funny thing, my third baby, she's the one that has managed to turn my world on it's ear. She is the one that brought about the need for a mini-van, bunk beds, the need to always have a little chocolate around and apples by the bushel.  She is the one that has the most non life threatening health issues. She has had her head put back together after an altercation with a door at a wedding. She has scraped and bruised every inch of her body and in a few weeks she will be my first to undergo surgery. I have been lucky that I have made it this far but I could go longer without this experience, really I could.  You see although her birthday is upon us, it is the impending surgery that keeps me awake at night. In a few weeks she will under go arthroscopic hip surgery to repair her damaged cartilage along with a couple of other things that, truthfully, I just don't know how to explain it without graphics. But, all of this considered she is also the one who when we went to the hospital last week to see my dying aunt, is the one child who with great diligence needed to say her goodbyes face to face. It was impressive and at the same time sad to see someone so young understand and grasp such a difficult situation. So today my baby turned 14. Happy Birthday Bug!

A Not Good, Not Fun Week...

OK, so I recently I have been working at finding the good and or positive in each of my weeks, if not days. But, this week, I struggled. I mean I really struggled. But, here is the positive for the week. Each day this week I got up and completed the tasks at hand. But, the week was bad. Bad Week. Saturday we celebrated my sisters birthday at a local Italian restaurant. Not a bad thing, but stopped by the hospital to see my aunt who was ill. Things weren't good. Sunday on the way to church I called to see how she was doing and things had taken a turn for the worst.  My suggestion to all, make the call before you get on the road to go to church to avoid wearing your church clothes all day at the hospital. Needless to say, we spent the day and into the evening there. She didn't make it. This is not how I expected to start the week. My aunt passed away late Sunday evening. We spent Monday with family preparing for a funeral. Went to work on Tuesday but began to realize that I was a little shaken by the experience. Wednesday, well, Wednesday is currently my least favorite day of the week now. Mike is officially part of the failing economy, he was laid off. Not fun, the good in this I will strive to find later. But, I do carry our benefits with my job so Catie's surgery is unaffected. I won't be nursing her back to health her dad will. I will learn to be ok with this. Thursday, well, Thursday had a couple of it's own challenges at work and also with family that I won't get into. Friday, well, we attended a funeral Friday in the midst of a downpour. Carol didn't like the cold or bad weather but we were all there in it for her. And that leads us to the end of our 7 day week. Not fun but we did make it through. I strive to find the positive in each day. Sometimes it is harder than I think it should be and sometimes I settle for I got us and functioned today. Today we are celebrating Catie's birthday, brownie sundaes. I figured we can start the next 7 days on a positive note. She's cute, easy to please and quite the crafter. I like her. I think I will keep her around for a while. 

Happy Birthday Baby #2

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Northridge earthquake. It happened exactly 15 years ago early in the morning. We were sleeping soundly all 3 of us in our own beds, Mike and I in ours and Eliza in hers and then the earth shook. I jumped up on the bed and ran across and jumped down, Earth still shaking; grabbed Eliza from her bed; Earth still shaking; stood in doorway for what seemed like hours and finally the earth settled. The only problem, when you are 2 1/2 weeks overdue carrying a 10 lb. 2 oz baby jumping and running are rough on you. The earth may have stopped moving but my body decided that 5 in the morning was a good time to start labor. Mike on the other hand tried desperately to convince me that maybe it was heartburn and all I really needed was more sleep; Nope. Not gonna happen; and this is why tomorrow, January 17th Miss Grace will be turning 15!  Strange. There are parts of that day that I can remember like they were hours ago and yet I can hear her and her friend discussing boys and fashions and bad hair from the loft. Where did the time go.  Let's see.....She's been to Utah and Hogle Zoo, Went camping in Malibu and took a life altering tumble (sorry kiddo, I still have guilt from that one), she took an airplane trip to Mexico for a winter vacation with family, even had a cool boat ride. She only ate beans and rice on that trip but at least I know now that it won't hurt. She moved 2000 miles away. Made friends with Libby, became a brownie, was diagnosed with a little health issue, learned that m & m's give you special powers and can enable you to stay very still in MRI machines, went to Junior high; learned to play the clarinet, made countless trips back and forth from Illinois to California; moved back to California; took her first plane trip without her parents; started high school; took a trip without family to go to Championships; learned that maybe traveling with family isn't soo bad after all; and the boys, soo many boys, Dylan, Austin, Nick, Cort, Scott.......the list goes on. Well, I guess maybe lots has happened. There seems to be fewer skulls these days. Yeah. Happy Birthday Baby.

Miss Liza has been accepted to BYU Idaho!!!

New Year's Post

Ok, here is the deal. I have sat at several computers over the course of the last week with every intention of posting one of those glorious and insightful New Year's Posts. Well, it's official. It ain't gonna happen here. I've started a few times. I have even gotten about 1/2 way through but I just can't seem to tie it up in a pretty package and post it. So, here's the problem. There are a few things going on that I can't seem to steer my focus from. There's Mike's dad being, well, it's not really ill. He is starting his second round of chemo and I worry about the girls watching him go through this and how they are handling it. Then, there's Catie. She is seeing a surgeon at the Children's Hospital this week because she has a problem with the soft tissue in her hip. Then, there's the whole work thing. I enjoy what I do, it's just the hours, well, they suck!! So, the New Year has great potential. I have printed out 246 pictures to work on scrapbooking.  I have vowed to get myself in better condition, scrapbook 3 pages a week, read the Relief Society lesson for Sunday even if I am in Primary and GET MY HOUSE CLEAN. So, please know that I appreciate all of you that peek in here and all of you that think about us. I just am a little overwhelmed and poignant words escape me today. But, later this week when I begin scrapbooking and talking about the love of a Crock pot and working moms. Then we will talk. ;) 

The After-Christmas Kunundrum...

Well, our Christmas has come and has gone. Tomorrow I return to work, while 1 kid is off to Magic Mountain, 1 to the mall and one is quickly becoming obsessed with the Wii. So, when do you take down Christmas. I mean there is a village in the family room, nativities all over the main floor of the house, various snowmen and dancing things all over and the tree, where to begin with the tree. It is pretty, lots of shiny ornaments, and the dogs have no interest in it, it is fake, it's not a fire hazard well, not until probably July when it becomes overcome with dust. So, here is what I was thinking. Take it down a portion at a time. So, I reviewed it with those I want help from. The result...Christmas may still be up next Thanksgiving. So, it's coming down one piece at a time. I am shooting for repacking something every night this week. Although I have to be honest I do have snowmen in the garage to sprinkle around for winter being that I am going through some serious cold and snow withdrawal. Mike got me a Willowtree Nativity for  Christmas last year and the Creche this year and since I didn't get to even take it out of the box last year because we were moving and I love where it is, it may be out a little longer. Well, it is cold here by the standards of those who wear shorts all year but really it's just chilly with the occasional opportunity to wear a light sweater. To those of you in the frozen cold please know there is at least one person out there who is truly jealous and would change places with you in a heartbeat. Happy New Year All. ;)

Merry Christmas!!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas. We spent Christmas eve with Mike's family, and there were quite a few people there this year I must say. We had dinner, visited and there were gifts all around. We do things a little different with his family because there are so many siblings, 8 most with spouses and kids, we do a rotation of who is giving to who. I think for the most part it does OK. Some are more generous than others and some have a very small memory. We stopped by, not really it is another county afterall, my parents house for a late snack of crab and beef wellington then off to home to open the customary Christmas eve gifts of new jammies, don't want pictures for posterity to reflect that one day last spring you touched up the paint in your pj's cuz you didn't think anyone would notice and now you are forever explaining that yellow spot.  Anyway, new jammies, egg nog or hot cocoa and the reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas. That was our Christmas eve, Oh, I did manage to put in 1/2 a days work also. Christmas was different for us since we were here in California and no longer in Illinois. I think it is clearly noticeable in the new jammies. And, yes, it is warm enough for them. We spent today with my family. There were gifts, snacks, dinner of prime rib and stuffed potatoes, cookies, candy, a nap and more visiting with family. Oh and I did work diligently at getting pictures of all who were there. So, this year the loot was intense and we will now spend the next week trying to find a place for the new waffle iron, cast iron roasting pan in RED!!, a new phone, clothes for all, and so much that I can no longer sit in the living room we just stroll past and appreciate the generosity of all who love us.  I truly hope you all were able to spend the day exactly the way you wanted. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!