Nick has been training in jiu-jitsu for about a year now. He decided to enter the Gracie Open tournament and Adam and I went out to support him in the 90 degree gym. Sorry if the video is a little wobbly- Adam kept pulling on me and saying, "Look, Mommy! Daddy tackle!!"
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
And then there were 15...
Reunion. That word conjures up some image of distant relatives who fly to some remote location to see people that they are apparently related to and only see once every five years. But that is what we called this long weekend at my parents' house. I am number four of six children. Six seems like such a huge number but then you have to account for the parents, spouses, and children and suddenly it becomes 15! How did that happen?! And that's only my immediate family and I love it.
So we retreated to Somerset, the closest recognizable city being Placerville, 40 miles away. We played in the pool, played games, watched movies, ate pizza, took pictures, laughed at the kids, celebrated birthdays, and just enjoyed each other. One day, my parents treated us all to a whitewater rafting trip on the middle fork of the American River. It was so great- and thank the Lord for my grandparents and aunt Wendy who took on our 4 extra kids under the age of 3. We all survived the trip and only managed to lose Trevor and his wife Amber into the freezing rapids for a minute or two. And yes, if you can see from the pictures, that is my leg up in the air as I prepared to be the 3rd casualty of the river. My dad pulled me back in but pretty much all the pictures are of me upside down.
"Jesus gives us the power to" survive VBS
And as a thank you for all my hard work, I was slimed from head to toe at the end of the last day. We had our annual VBS penny drive to raise money for missions- boys versus girls. Out of over 23,000 pennies raised, the boys won by less than $4, and I had green slime stuck in my hair for a week.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Swimming 101
Scoops and kicks - two essential movements that a two year old must master if he wants to learn how to swim. But while the other kids in Adam's intro to swimming class were wiggling their legs and perfecting their doggy paddles, all my boy wanted to do was yell "Gabio!" and jump off the side into my arms. He's a bit of a daredevil. I think he gets it from his mom. ; ) Adam spent a little time scooping but he really just wanted to jump off the side and push away on his own. Not the safest strategy, but I've got to say, the kid's courageous.
And a little note from mom in response: I'm pretty sure I'm not the one who goes cliff diving and jumps over rocks with reckless abandon! :) Adam did end up pretty well- he can swim to the wall if we push him towards it, and he can climb out all by himself!
And a little note from mom in response: I'm pretty sure I'm not the one who goes cliff diving and jumps over rocks with reckless abandon! :) Adam did end up pretty well- he can swim to the wall if we push him towards it, and he can climb out all by himself!
Gabio!
Every warrior worth his salt needs a war cry. Geronimo! Banzai! Gabio? Yes, Gabio. (ga'-bee-oh)If you know what it means, please e-mail me. My fearless son Adam has been using this mysterious word for months and he hasn't bothered to explain where it came from or what it's supposed to communicate. We only know that when Adam's excited or has just accomplished a new feat of toddlerhood it's very likely that he's going to rear back and holler "Gabby... Gabio!!!" Makes me smile every time.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Gee-Gee
My Gee-Gee passed away this afternoon and it just got me thinking about all the things I loved about her. This post is for my benefit but you are free to catch a glimpse of this piece of my heart if you wish.
I remember...
...driving back to Santa Rosa to visit for a while and we'd stop at a place on the way where we'd ride a little train and go feed the animals.
...going for walks in the woods and being so quiet that we could see the deer up close.
...the little basket of Barbies that I'd play with in the guest room.
...sitting on the bed to listen to her recording her voice reading us stories.
...peanut time, about an hour before dinner when I could go down to the garage to get a short can of soda and eat peanuts in those little wooden bowls.
...Pops' incredible model train set up downstairs.
...swimming all the time and feeling the soft tan skin on her arms.
...playing "Go Fish" on the beach towel.
...seeing raccoons in the early morning out on the deck.
...eating my favorite meal that she made for me- hamburger stroganoff out on the deck.
...my friend across the street who was a granddaughter of Gee-Gee's friend. I was given two fudgesicles for her and I to share.
...playing Barbies with that same little girl while we were at a funeral reception for one of Gee-Gee's friends.
...spilling juice on the oriental rug and being scolded for it.
...playing "Memory". There was a card that had bugs on it and whenever she would turn it over, she'd scream in mock disgust. Later, when I was in high school, I went on a trip to Colorado and bought her a souvenir. It was a purple paperweight with a scorpion inside. She and I mailed it back and forth to each other several times. :) I have it now.
...coffee cake.
...goofy cake.
...snickerdoodles. We'd cook them together and she'd send them back with me for my dad- they were his favorite.
...my green Tinkerbell toothbrush.
...that big plastic pink fish in the bathtub.
...going to church and kneeling on that thing that you kneel on.
...going out to North's brunch for dinner.
...one time she took me to a miniature horse show and I got to ride in a little carriage pulled by the horses.
...creamed spinach.
...rolled up dollar bills tied with a red ribbon.
...sometimes, she'd send me money on my brothers' birthday so that I wouldn't feel left out.
...the smell from their house- I loved it and was so reluctant to have my mom wash my things when I came home.
...when they moved to Mission Viejo and she called the security guard to say that there was a rattlesnake in her back patio. They came out expecting to see a garden snake but sure enough, Gee-Gee knew what she saw!
...Gee-Gee teaching me to cross-stitch and to knit.
...the Suzy's Friends ornaments that she made for our Christmas tree.
...my pink baby blanket that she knit for me. I left it on the heater once and now it has two large holes in it.
...driving with Nick and our new baby to Palm Desert to introduce Adam to his great grandma and grandpa in the 117 degree weather.
...the one and only time that Sam and Gee-Gee were able to meet this past December.
...all of those Christmas and birthday cards that she always remembered to send and signed with xoxo.
...that she used to spell my name "Missie" when my name was "Missy". I liked it better her way and changed it in 6th grade.
...that I loved her.
...that I already miss her.
I remember...
...driving back to Santa Rosa to visit for a while and we'd stop at a place on the way where we'd ride a little train and go feed the animals.
...going for walks in the woods and being so quiet that we could see the deer up close.
...the little basket of Barbies that I'd play with in the guest room.
...sitting on the bed to listen to her recording her voice reading us stories.
...peanut time, about an hour before dinner when I could go down to the garage to get a short can of soda and eat peanuts in those little wooden bowls.
...Pops' incredible model train set up downstairs.
...swimming all the time and feeling the soft tan skin on her arms.
...playing "Go Fish" on the beach towel.
...seeing raccoons in the early morning out on the deck.
...eating my favorite meal that she made for me- hamburger stroganoff out on the deck.
...my friend across the street who was a granddaughter of Gee-Gee's friend. I was given two fudgesicles for her and I to share.
...playing Barbies with that same little girl while we were at a funeral reception for one of Gee-Gee's friends.
...spilling juice on the oriental rug and being scolded for it.
...playing "Memory". There was a card that had bugs on it and whenever she would turn it over, she'd scream in mock disgust. Later, when I was in high school, I went on a trip to Colorado and bought her a souvenir. It was a purple paperweight with a scorpion inside. She and I mailed it back and forth to each other several times. :) I have it now.
...coffee cake.
...goofy cake.
...snickerdoodles. We'd cook them together and she'd send them back with me for my dad- they were his favorite.
...my green Tinkerbell toothbrush.
...that big plastic pink fish in the bathtub.
...going to church and kneeling on that thing that you kneel on.
...going out to North's brunch for dinner.
...one time she took me to a miniature horse show and I got to ride in a little carriage pulled by the horses.
...creamed spinach.
...rolled up dollar bills tied with a red ribbon.
...sometimes, she'd send me money on my brothers' birthday so that I wouldn't feel left out.
...the smell from their house- I loved it and was so reluctant to have my mom wash my things when I came home.
...when they moved to Mission Viejo and she called the security guard to say that there was a rattlesnake in her back patio. They came out expecting to see a garden snake but sure enough, Gee-Gee knew what she saw!
...Gee-Gee teaching me to cross-stitch and to knit.
...the Suzy's Friends ornaments that she made for our Christmas tree.
...my pink baby blanket that she knit for me. I left it on the heater once and now it has two large holes in it.
...driving with Nick and our new baby to Palm Desert to introduce Adam to his great grandma and grandpa in the 117 degree weather.
...the one and only time that Sam and Gee-Gee were able to meet this past December.
...all of those Christmas and birthday cards that she always remembered to send and signed with xoxo.
...that she used to spell my name "Missie" when my name was "Missy". I liked it better her way and changed it in 6th grade.
...that I loved her.
...that I already miss her.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The world just got a little sweeter
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Adam's favorite spot
We have been blessed with a beautiful backyard. Adam loves climbing the hill, climbing the tree, swinging, playing baseball and soccer and basketball, roasting marshmallows, or just running around on the grass. And yet, his favorite spot to go is a lonely plot of dirt behind a bench to play in the dirt and pour it on his head. Go figure.
Did you know?
Did you know that when you go cherry picking, that it is all you can eat cherries while you pick? But more importantly, did you know that a toddler can ingest over 20 cherry PITS in one sitting with seemingly no harm to his digestive tracks?
The boys
What a joy to have these boys! We love to watch them grow and learn daily. Adam adores his daddy and puts Nick's hat on whenever he gets the chance. He loves anything to do with Nick. He doesn't call something red- he says "dada's car" because that's the color of Nick's car. 
We always had to work to get a smile out of Adam when he was little but Sam just dishes them out to anyone who looks his way. He's our little social butterfly.
I love to watch them play together. Or, more accurately, I love to watch Sam smile and laugh at his big brother as Adam drives some vehicle over Sam's head or tries to tackle him. 
So, as Sam is our social one, Adam has become quite the scientist- making experiments with every dinner meal. He usually combines all the contents of his plate into his cup of water and, much to our disgust moments later, he eats the food and then drinks the water. To each his own.
The 10k from down under
On May 10th, I succeeded in convincing some unsuspecting friends that they wanted to run the 1st annual Wildflower 10k at the Los Vaqueros Watershed. This was the farthest I had run to date and I probably couldn't have done it without Judy. She stayed with me the whole time up huge inclines in the middle of nowhere. An experienced runner, Judy said this was the most difficult 10k out of the dozens that she had run. But we finished! It only took me an hour and 28 minutes- I like to set the bar low so that I have room to improve. 
From left to right: Judy, me, Alaura, and Shannon
From left to right: Judy, me, Alaura, and Shannon
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Happy Birthday, Adam!
Adam turned two on Wednesday and we celebrated today with a Curious George party. There was messy finger painting and chalk drawing galore and the tables were decorated with bananas, mini bananas, and monkey paraphernalia. Nick is the creative one so he used he sweet skills to craft a monkey cake for the birthday boy. I found an old coffee table in my parent's barn and we cleaned it up so Nick could turn it into a train table. Adam's face lit up when he saw it and he started squealing "choo-choo" in a high pitched voice because he was so excited. Everything ran smoothly (other than Adam burning his finger on the candle while he was trying to blow it out.) and we all had a great time. Now I've gotta go work off that cake with a five mile run...
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