The Grace of an Angel

I got a very anxiously anticipated phone call on Valentine's Night.  It was Laura and she was FINALLY IN LABOR!!   Knowing that first labors can be somewhat long, I knew it would probably be a while before sweet baby Zeke made his Earthly appearance, but this sister was so excited and couldn't get there fast enough. 

What I witnessed, over the next 36, yes I said 36, hours was  greatly humbling, touching and inspiring.  I saw the patience of Job, the grace of an angel, the determination of a true champion and the genuine love of a first time mother.   I willfully and gratefully sat with my sweet young sister as she prepared the path to bring her first born child into the world.  I am in great awe of the way Laura overcame and persevered through such a miraculous event.  There were many walks taken and beautiful piano music that complimented the serene environment in which she labored.  My little brother was touched and humbled as he witnessed the divine strength and peace of his sweet wife.  Laura was inspiring to all who surrounded her.  The nurses were amazed at her peaceful and relaxed demeanor during all phases of her unmedicated labor.  Thank you Laura and Kirk for letting me be a part of such an unforgettable experience.  It was through this experience that I understand the greatness of the genuine spirit that resides in my little sister.  I was touched by an angel, and that angel is you, Laura.  I am so proud of you.  Thinking of this experience floods my soul with emotion and love for such a brave and kindred young mother.

Welcome Bryan Ezekiel Varga
7 lbs 12 oz, 20" long
Baby "ZEKE"
I LOVE YOU!!

A Day at the Park

*happy little people and a pond full of fish*

I took a trip to the park with 4 of my favorite Little People.  This was the first time Axton got to feed the ducks and boy did his enthusiasm show.  We went at the perfect time when the ducks were really hungry.  I'm so grateful for fun little places like this, so close to my home.  These are the simple pleasures that make life so enjoyable.

7 Is A Lucky Number!

Our BIG BOY is another year older. Holy cow, 7. . .really??? My how so many things CHANGE in a few short years. 7 years ago I was holding my SWEET little baby and Today he is playing BASKETBALL, soccer, baseball, running, adding, SUBTRACTING, multiplying, reading and even speaking & reading SPANISH.

We celebrated the BIG DAY by taking treats to Luca's class and then enjoying a big night at the Pirate's Dinner ADVENTURE. The kids were MESMERIZED all night and had a blast.

We had big STARS in our group that night. Tony was a stand-in PIRATE and Luca got to take a BOAT ride and dress up and go to war with the Pirates. Lucky BOY!
BANG!!!

One of the best parts of the NIGHT was sharing it with Aunt LAURA!
It was only FIVE days before BABY ZEKE was due to enter the world.
WE CAN'T WAIT!!
Luca and Axton loved giving Zeke hugs and kisses.
SO CUTE!

125 First Graders

I was lucky enough to go with all the first graders to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Four hours in a bus with a herd of 6 and 7 year olds was just what the doctor ordered for my bronchitis and a sinus infection!

The Day was AWESOME!! The kids loved it and so did I. The trip on the bus was well worth it. We got to pet stingrays, baby sharks, all kinds of sea plants and sponges. A kind parent even bought out a theater so all the gang could watch a 4-D movie about sea turtles. The kids really loved watching the Sea Lions and Seals play. We all thought the tank of Lobsters was a bit scary! Yikes, I don't really know how we eat those animals--they're creepy looking. I'm so grateful for the first grade. It was a memorable time with wonderful people!!

Ginger People

 
How lucky are we to have such awesome friends who gave us ginger bread people to decorate.  Luca and Acacia had so much fun.  I have to admit, I had a pretty good time too.  I helped Acacia--A LOT!!  When all was said and done, they were pretty excited about their master pieces.  Luca kept saying his was ugly, but I think it's perfect.   My own little people are very talented and LOVE to have FUN!

Oh Christmas Tree

Let the Decorating Begin!

This was the first year that all the little tykes wanted to help decorate the tree.  They just couldn't get enough.  Our tree may not have appeared perfect, but it was fun putting it together and it looked just like a family tree should.  Axton was pretty good at rearranging the ornaments, but he did so quite carefully.  Thanks kiddos for all the help.

The Mayor's Race

Once Upon a Mid-May Morning our small little family went to San Bernardino to participate in the Mayor's Race Festivities. I was to run the 5K and Luca was to run the Kids Race (about 800 meters). We were expecting warm sunny skies, but instead were blessed with cold and drizzly weather. Here are the pics to tell the tale.

Good think Mom was getting ready for her race, because now Luca had an extra set of clothes to keep him warm while he waited for his own race.

Acacia & Axton patiently waiting for the 5K to start. These little tykes have been very good about being supportive to their mama, who is not a runner, but is trying to get better.

My supportive Clan!

5K (3.1 miles)

Look, there's Lisa and myself when the race first started. We met at Jazzercise and both had babies last year. We were due on the same day, but her baby is 6 weeks older than mine. She was 3 weeks early and I was 3 weeks late.

And just over 27 minutes later. . .
here I am just about ready to cross the finish line.


6-8 Years Old 800 Meters

Here comes Xander. He ran his little heart out. He ran so fast he tired out at the end, but he was among the first finishers. This is Luca's buddy that he's known since preschool. They go to the same Charter School and they were in the Running Club together. Xander was the fastest and Luca was always on his tail. Even though they are competitive, they know how to have a good time at it.

GO LUCA GO!!!

Luca did a great job. He ran super fast the entire time. Tony and I were both really impressed with the way he paced himself. He started fast and finished really strong. He was among the first few finishers too. We were very proud of our little boy this day. He did AWESOME!!!

Luca & Xander and their medals.
GREAT JOB BOYS!!

Riverside Park

There is this new park in Riverside that has the best playground equipment, but the best part is the little water spouts that jump at you. These kinds of parks should be everywhere. The kids have a blast AND they stay cool.

Luca, Seth, Xander & Acacia keeping cool.

Our Trip to God's COUNTRY!!

Rural Montana is gorgeous. Every time we visit it is hard to drag the kids and me away from the beautiful country, crisp clean air, blue blue skies, open fields, green landscape, cooler weather and the much simpler and slower pace of life. What else would you expect when you visit God's Country?

The little girl cousins were so ecstatic to be with each other. They played like they'd known each other forever. It was super cute watching Acacia bond with her cousins, playing in the grass fields and running all over with them holding hands and sharing countless laughs and giggles. Acacia really took to Ruby (5) and followed her everywhere. These pictures were taken just after the reunion when they were playing in the grass at the tiny school park. They kept running through the grass, counting to three and then throwing themselves into the grass laughing their heads off. Oh, the joy of being a small child. . .it's priceless.

We ordered Luca a bike and it came the day we got there. Uncle Earl put it together for him and Luca spent countless hours riding it. It was a very wise investment! Luca spent a lot of time cruising the town streets, running errands for Grandma and playing with his cousins Tanner & Erica. Every time Luca would pick up a dandelion and make a wish he would wish that he "could be with his cousins every day!" Luca loves his cousins--all of them. It doesn't seem to matter which group of cousins he is with, he just plays and gets along with them all. I love having an outgoing little boy who makes friends with everybody. It's definitely a special little talent of his.

Tony only stayed with us for 3 days because of work. His flight home left out of the Lewistown Airport. This is the airport and the plane he boarded when he left. Tony was the ONLY passenger on the plane. Talk about small town aviation!

Tony's flight was delayed a couple hours so we had fun playing in the grassy fields in front of the airport. Good thing I had just bought a soccer ball for the kids right before we headed to the airport. The cool thing about a small airport is that Tony only had to arrive about half an hour before the flight, but with it being delayed we were there for a couple hours. There's endless fun in grassy green fields!





A few days before we left we went to Livingston to see Gary, Christy and their Girls. Again, there was no lack of fun for the kids. Luca was thrilled to give Regan a ride on the quad. My in-laws drove down there with us and it was an interesting drive. I'm sure they were glad when it was over. Axton cried a lot of the way down there, and on the way back he talked--very loudly-- the entire way. There was no sleeping for this boy. Of course he hardly slept the whole time we were in Montana. This day was an exceptionally wide eyed day for Axton and later I found out it was because his Uncle Gary had been letting him sip on his iced tea. Gary had taken Axton for me so that I could have a break and go on a walk with my sister-in-law Christy. Axton didn't go to sleep that night until about 1:00 in the morning. Thanks Gary!









I took the kids, Tanner and Erica to the Lewistown pool for a good splash of fun. Their pool is pretty awesome, especially considering there aren't any public pools anywhere near Redlands. This pool has two big slides, a high dive and two low diving boards. Luca went down the slide 41 times and the small diving boards 5 times. He was very eager to share his numbers with everybody. We ended up getting rained out at the end, but it was totally worth it. I have to say that the trip there and back was funny because we were playing "Eye Spy" together. Well, in rural Montana where everything is green and there aren't any signs or billboards the available colors are very limited. It became interesting very quickly. You'd be surprised how many shades of black and grey there are on power poles.

The Billings airport has a little play area in the terminal to entertain the kids. This worked wonders for me as a solo parent traveling with 3 young children.

SO LONG MONTANA! IT WAS A BLAST. THANKS TO MY FAMILY, ESPECIALLY MY GREAT IN-LAWS FOR PUTTING UP WITH US FOR 2 WEEKS. WE LOVE YOU ALL AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO VISIT AGAIN.
You know if it were up to me we'd have moved there a long time ago.

A Moment With Varga Cousins

We shared a few moments with Eliot, Quincy and Emerson while we were in Tucson. They were brief moments, but we were finally able to meet Emerson. YAY! She's cute as ever and even has the Varga Ears. Poor girl! The kids played at Mama's Pizza while we all attempted to eat dinner. The kids had a blast together. Luca LOVES LOVES LOVES all his cousins.

Cutie Pie Emerson. 6 1/2 Months

Acacia loved Eliot. Cute cute girls. I'm missing a picture of Quincy here. I guess we'll just need to get together again!