Happy Birthday Jake!

I love this young man! He is our second born son. He is now officially a teenager. I find that hard to believe. Maybe not so much 'hard to believe' as it is hard to process. He is closer to adult than to baby. Closer to 'conqueror of the world' than 'conqueror of potty training' :) And what an amazing and good hearted young man he has become. We are each so very blessed he is part of our family. The only one of our boys to be born at full term. He took his time coming to earth. He has taken his time with most things since. But he was definitely worth the wait!!! He is kind, patient, smart, artistic, gentle, funny, witty, clever, hardworking and an all around good kid. Truly. I know I may be biased........OK, I really am biased. But....seriously.......wouldn't you be if he was yours??

Celebrating Independence

This is what happens when someone (I'm not naming any names) finds the treat table at the neighborhood festivities
We were actually so glad that Mandi wanted to participate with sparklers. Last year we had a terrible incident where she had taken off her shoes and then climbed off of grandma's lap only to step right onto a stray smoldering sparkler. None of us knew why she was screaming until I saw it attached to her little foot...by then it had done some very serious damage to her foot. She has been wary of the idea of sparklers since but after awhile she decided (with some shoes on!!) that she wanted to do one!

Not sure what Sam is doing here...not sure it looks safe. I think it is the embers of a smoldering sparkler.

Could these two BE any cuter? They have so much fun together. I am so grateful that they are friends AND sisters.

Cheering on (when she wasn't trying to climb the tree!) the gang playing kickball

A mom and her oldest....self portrait style

A cousin pyramid in grandma's backyard

A Trip Worth Remembering

So, my sister in law advised me not to 'start' anywhere. Just to go forward or it would be another fifteen months before I found the courage and/or gumption to post again. But interspersed throughout the upcoming days, weeks and months I may go back to remember a few things. So some things really are worth remembering.....and this trip was one of them.


Picture it:


It is early November and Brian and I are already discussing the dilemmas/goals/joys of the Christmas holiday. We want the holiday to count for our children. In more ways than counting the number of gifts they receive. But, as with most, there are always budget restraints. Because even some of the most beautiful ideas require funds. And we did not want to waste them. On more stuff, more things that would lose their lustre in mere days. So we pondered. We talked. We worried. We decided that maybe...just maybe....we could make this season a little different. We prayed. And then we went to work. We had a glorious Christmas season this last year. Expectations were reduced. We had hoped to have the kids handmake all their gifts. And they did. For each other. And it was grand. Truly, some of the neatest expressions of love and care from our kids. We were able to successfully pull off a family service project to help a local charity. And we conspired to help another family. And finally, we (just Brian and I) conspired to truly surprise our children. We were going to plan a trip without them having ANY idea what we were up to. And man....it was HARD!!!


Suitcases had to spirited into our master bedroom and doors kept closed.


Shirts, jeans, socks, underwear and a myriad of other things had to spirited out of the laundry piece by piece so as to not raise any flags.


My children were so trusting.


A few things were noticed.


Little white lies were offered.


Then believed.


Finally, Christmas day arrived. Here is what their dad and I had planned for the reveal:


Several clues were created and hidden through house. A puzzle that read: PACK YOUR BAGS WE ARE GOING TO.......... was made and wrapped in a present with all six kids name on it. It was buried in the back of the tree. They opened gifts from grandmas and cousins and siblings. When the puzzle was finally unwrapped (as they wondered if they would receive any gifts from mom and dad) and then put together the kids began to shriek (ALL of them). We handed them an envelope with their first clue. The excitement hit a fever pitch. They raced all around finding all of the clues. The final clue led them to a bin hidden in the dryer. It had six fanny packs packed with a gift card each, small amount of cash and gum/snacks. It also held a poster that their dad had created with a huge picture of the Cinderella castle lit up at night and the words CHRISTMAS 2009 boldly through the middle. The kids were jumping up and down. And then we told them "Hurry Up" we have to leave in a couple hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then pandemonium broke out. "today, we are leaving TODAY??????????" Brian and I laughed. So much joy. So much tangible excitement.

And we left. Two hours later. Almost on the dot.

The journey was long to drive to Disneyland. Disneyland is always magical. But, for me...the area holds a special place in my heart. You see, I grew up down there. That's where I was raised. Not too far from Disneyland. In beautiful Orange County, CA. I have missed it sorely since my dad died and my mom moved away. So not only is it the magic of Disney for my kids. But it feels a little like home for me. SO AWESOME!!!!

We stopped along the way for a Christmas visit with Grandma M.. How fabulous to see her on Christmas day! The further south we got....the warmer it got! The sunnier the sky. Our kids spirits matched the scenery. Everyone was cooperative. Fun. Happy. It was quite simply a dream trip with our kids. We didn't spend on crazy things. We packed food when we could. We ate our breakfasts at the hotel. Nobody whined for anything. They each had an allotment of cash per day to spend for their treats. When it was gone, they knew NO more. If they didn't spend it all that day, they had it for the next and the next.....it was up to them. We found that cuts down severely on the constant requests for more and the constant drain on dad's wallett. Helps them to make better choices :)

We had such a great time together. We really really did.

Not just because it was Disneyland. Not because we were blessed to be able to go on such a fun trip to cap our season of growing together. But because we were TOGETHER!!! The memories we made together matter so much more than any one 'thing' we could possess.

Eric, Sam and their dad are just off of Screamin' at California Adventure

What trip to Disneyland is complete without the whole gang out front

Churros are a daily (sometimes multiples in one day) occurrence :)

Reference the above comment. My FAVORITE thing to eat at Disney.

Two little princesses have just come from meeting the princesses of their dreams.

A Return to Something.....

.........I have kind of, sometimes, sorta, intensely (repeat cycle) missed this over this past year. And what a year (Ok, 1 1/2 years) it has been!

Brian is healed now. Still has a girly calf to prove it ;) I have forgotten everything I learned in blogging (like how to do that cute 'strike through' thing and how to change fonts and sizes) I have lost a bunch of weight. Then gained a bit of it back. We have taken our children on a surprise (to them) Christmas vacation that will be one of our memory highlights for the rest of our lives. We have gone on another cruise. I have been emotionally/spiritually stretched, grown, cried and stretched some more. Still think Heavenly Father may have more for me on that point. My kids have all gotten ridiculously big. We have spent a week at the lake in a beautiful town just a couple of hours from here where we re-learned how to be a family again. And loved every minute of it. Boys have taken part in sports, programs, graduated and improved on so many things. The girls are growing by leaps and bounds and keep us all entertained. The kids ALL add so much joy and love to our house. Another sister has moved to town. We have added one more baby to the extended family and three more will make their appearance by years end (twins among them!). I have reconnected with girls who helped shape who I am today (from high school!) and we are reunion-ing this next weekend. So much to share. So much to tell. Where do I really start???

(how do you fix red eye in blogger?) I really LOVE this guy!

Beautiful friends (one who has a new baby) and before I gained back 10 pounds ;)

Truly..........WHERE do I start?????

We interrupt our regular scheduled programming to bring you this update...

Whew! That is a long title. Brian is doing well.

The surgeon making sure he's got the right leg. (actually it is his left :-)

Going a little stir crazy laying around on the couch. Getting mild hangovers from the pain medication he takes at night. Feeling like his hamstring and hip joints may need to be repaired next since they are unaccustomed to holding his leg over the height of his shoulder while laying down.
Sarah is wondering what this is all about. She kept walking over to him, just kind of looking at everything.


Mandi has a much better idea for the proper use of a wheeled roll-about.

We all got a great laugh when Brian's mom, upon returning to her home after coming to help out for a few days, sent out this update to family far away:

"Brian completely tore his Achilles tendon and had surgery Friday morning. He has to remain completely immobile for 10 days, except to go to bathroom with his foot above his shoulder."

Wouldn't that be some sort of amazing feat of dexterity?? I think she meant to order it a little more like:

"remain completely immobile for 10 days with his foot above his shoulder, except to go to the bathroom."


Brian is up! Ready for his one privelege!!


The family had a good laugh. Now you can giggle right along with us. Thanks for all of the sweet words and encouraging/helpful phonecalls and visits to the poor patient. We feel so fortunate to be blessed with all of you.

The Cruise Chronicles - Part One

Day One – January 24, 2009

Well, we were up and left EARLY. Worried about cold and ice but the weather forecast is clear and for that we are extremely grateful. Flights route through Chicago on our way to San Juan. Perfect flights. Both of us were able to sleep a little, played Phase 10 a little, ate a little, no air turbulence and even early arrivals. It was awesome. Still long. But, this girl is trying to focus on only the positives. We arrived in San Juan in the evening but with beautiful balmy temperatures. Hotel was perfect. We are on vacation baby!!

Day Two – January 25, 2009

Today is a little cuckoo. We have decided, with friends that are in San Juan with us, that we will have a leisurely morning, check out of the hotel and drop our bags off on the ship and tour San Juan a little bit and then had back to get on the ship to get this party started! Mass confusion at the docks. Saying we are not allowed on yet. We check in our luggage and set off to see the island. It is gorgeous!! We visit a fort, eat at a great restaurant, ride their trolley and see the amazing place the locals get to call home. Later we get word from other passengers that we may not get on until 10pm. Then we hear we are not getting on till the next morning and we are leaving late. The check-in/boarding process turns into a nightmare of confusion and mass crowds. We get on the boat around 6pm. Happy to be there we seek out food. It is the ultimate comfort right? We thoroughly enjoy our meal and remind ourselves that ‘come what may’ there is not reason to be grumpy….we are on vacation. The boat that was to depart at 11pm now is not pulling away from port until 6am. We are assured that since our first day on the cruise was a sea day anyway, to not fret we will reach Aruba on time.




We are cracking up by now!






GORGEOUS isn't it????

We are tired on the trolley

Day Three – January 26, 2009

Our first full day on the ship. Aaahhh…..relaxing. We are hanging out in a place called The Sanctuary. It is snootyville on the ship and we are loving every minute of it. It costs $10 to be up there and it is worth every second. The lounge chairs are really more like outdoor beds. There are MP3’s at your disposal. They bring you water (actually, they bring you whatever you want to eat)….the best part is that where it is located is far away from the bulk of the noise of the crowd on the ship and you can look out and see the horizon as you lounge. It is heaven to have a nap with the sun shining and the ocean breezes blowing. I get a pedicure. Can’t start the week without my toes being primped. It costs too much but my toes look SASSY! It is our first formal night. I didn’t go super formal this time like I did a few years ago. Still, I felt fancy and pretty and adored as my husband admired my attire. Dang he’s cute too in that sharp suit!! We take lots of photos with friends and enjoy an awesome dinner. We saw a show on the ship that was ‘dancing through the ages’. Unbelievable how they can keep their balance to do such a spectacular job on a ship that is not always steady. We did notice a bit more movement this day than on our previous trip. We attribute it to the speed we are traveling at to reach Aruba on time after our late departure. We go to bed anxious to reach Aruba and begin our onshore adventures.

Carol and I in "The Sanctuary" - Brian's toes are visible in the background - look at that view!!!!!

Brian has come over to me....the sun proves too much for his eyes...you can faintly hear him crying "my eyes, my eyes!!" (little Friends humor)

Matt and Carol.....this is a better shot of "The Sanctuary"...this became our running joke....'we must retire to the sanctuary' (well that and 'purging toxins from your systems')

I really, really love to laugh with this guy

Carol is THRILLED to have her fill of the bread

The sun is setting on our first full cruise day

OUCH!!!!!!!!!! - with an update

UPDATE:
This is not gonna be good. Surgery is tomorrow at 6am. We have to be there at 5am. 10 days of complete immobility with leg elevated above shoulder height with foot in a plaster splint. 6 weeks of ZERO weightbearing after that (on crutches with a boot)....2 more months of moderate movement and not a full release for 5-6 months. Please pray for him. He is our rock and he is feeling poor in spirit because he feels like he will be a burden. Pray for his healing and pray that as his wife, I will give him all the love and care that he needs and deserves.
We are, as always, grateful for your love and support of our family.
________________________________________________________________

Yeah, I said procrastination huh? Still not done with the vacation update. The lustre is fading. But, I really do have an excuse. Well, I didn't until last night but, now I have a REALLY REALLY good one.

Brian got hurt.

Playing church basketball.

He feels old. In fact, the lady at the ER last night told him that "at his age" (he's 40 - almost 41) the tendons are more brittle. Umm.....thanks?

He ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Not good.

We had official confirmation this morning, by MRI, that it is a full thickness rupture. Complete with fragmented edges and some of the tendon rolling up on itself (think window shade).

Appt. first thing tomorrow morning to visit orthopedic surgeon and schedule surgical repair.

Months (est. of 2-4 months) in a smokin' hot looking boot cast.

Good times.

Poor guy.