Thrilled to Dance

This Years Family Christmas Picture.
We took this picture at the Christmas Tree Lot in Ramona. It's a cut your own tree down place. The boys have a lot of fun running around the lot trying to find their tree. They have a bean bag game that you can play and win a cookie, ornament or a treeling. Fun, Fun.

I was testing out my camera's timer and snapped this great shot of Auston and I. He really is a handsome young man. I love this Season.

I have made a new friend. She is a single mom with two little boys. I can see that GOD has drawn me to be her sister in Christ. I know that there are a lot of people in need that I have come into contact with, you just have to listen really hard sometimes to who Christ has selected for you to help. I am doing that and I feel really good about myself. God has moved me and I am thrilled to dance for him.

This came from my Christmas card for this year:
Love Is God Shining Through You.
Love Is Giving What You'd Like To Receive.
Love Is Taking The Time, Even When You Don't Have The Time.
Love Is Listening With Your Heart.
Love Is Being There.
Love Is Believing In The Good, The True, And The Beautiful.
Love Is The Light Of The World.
"The Only Thing That Counts Is Faith Expressing Itself Through Love." GALATIANS 5:6

The CHRISTmas Season

I know that it has been a while since I have written anything. I am trying to keep up on this for you as well as myself. I have made this into my journal, so my kids will have something to look back on when they are adults. I have be printing them out and putting them into a 3 ring binder marked "Janet's Blog Journal".

I am so excited that Christmas is coming. I love the season thats for giving. I am going to our Women's Christmas Dinner on friday, i am looking forward to that. I would love to be more involved with the Women's Ministry. I have been praying about that. Most things are hard for me to do because my hubby works days and nights and sometime weekends. If it is meant to be be then GOD will open the doors for me.

I had a great time with my bible study group last night. we prayed on our own and wrote down our deepest thing we wanted to be done with and give it to God. I felt so relieved after this exercise! we also took communion. Our leader, Josh, is a wonderful man and has really stepped up in bringing us closer to GOD! Thank You Josh! I am so grateful for all my new brothers and sisters in Christ, I have become a better Christian because of them all. God is Good!

I am looking forward to the rain coming but, hopping we don't flood. I love the rain. It gives us an excuse to gather around the kitchen table and play board games, dominos or cards. My son seems to always win? I don't know how that is. We are also planning on getting our Christmas Tree this weekend. I am so excited.

I am also excited about join the gym. I have been going at least 3 times a week and feel great. I haven't weighed myself because its not about the weight, its about feeling better about myself, feeling healthier and feeling accomplished. Although i took this 30 minute class last night that KICKED MY BUTT. i don't know if i am going to attempt that one again. I like to weight lift, go at my own pace and feel the burn the next day.

I am Wishing you all the blessings of Christ's love in this beautiful holy season and always. (I got this from our Christmas card that we are sending out this year)

AMEN!

It's My Birthday

I am 31 today. It feels good, so far I am enjoying my 30's. My sweet hubby got me a gift certificate for a facial and massage today. It was so relaxing, I feel rejuvenated. I needed it. I am just going to try and relax a little more, I will be going to bible study tonight. My hubby has to work, so no going out to dinner. I am however going out to dinner tomorrow night with my best friend Rae, she is here visiting. Her son-in-law returns from Iraq today. I am so happy for them, he has been gone 9 months. I am going to Las Vegas on friday, No, with my kids. We are going with my Hubby's marching band for a tournament. I am taking my mom, we are going to take the kids site seeing. I haven't been to Vegas in 9 years. I got married there and never returned. There is a lot to see, so we should be able to stay busy. I was told to visit the Coca Cola Factory and my oldest wants to see Cris Angel Mindfreak at the Luxor, I am not waiting around for hours to get a glimpse. Will write again and tell you how Vegas turned out. God Bless!

Happy Birthday to Me!

A week after the fire

I am still in shock at the aftermath the fires left behind. As I sit here and write, I look out my window and see my neighbors house burnt down and the chard remains of what used to be trees in my yard. I feel so blessed that the Lord saved my home. It is so overwhelming. So many people have been affected by the fires here. I hear stories of people not having insurance, that they make to much money for FEMA to help, how does that make sense, they lost everything. I thought I heard our president say that no one would be turned down? Then there are people who were retired and living on a fixed income, still no insurance. My heart goes out to them all. I pray for them all everyday. God use them, help them see that you have not left them. Let them feel the warmth of your arms around them. God you are so good to us, even in trouble times, you are still there, loving us, holding us up. Thank You Lord! I prayed so hard when we were evacuated, I prayed you would protect my home AND YOU DID, I prayed that you would protect my neighbors AND YOU DID, even though one lost their home, you kept them safe Lord. All I could do was pray and give it all to you. You kept the neighbors safe that stayed behind and fought the fires with our garden hoses, Thank you for them Lord. I can never thank them enough for their bravery. I thank you Lord for the many who have stepped forward to help those in need, for TIDE to volunteer and do the laundry, for Christian organizations who have been handing out food, clothing, bedding, etc. and for using our church as a one stop shop for the fire victims. Let them feel YOUR LOVE as they come and receive the help that has been offered to them. Thank You Lord!

Amen

A Couple of Things:

We have waited to long, and now the wait is over. Auston is so excited! We had to wait about an hour and a half to be called back to the judges chambers. They went from youngest to oldest. Auston was the oldest. After the hearing Auston and Kolby were given teddy bears. Kolby actually just grabbed one and the nice lady got Auston another one. Auson wants to get dog tags made for his bear to show what the bear was for. I think that is a great idea. Auston is so happy to finally have his named changed.

This is a picture of us with the Judge. She was a really nice lady. This picture didn't come out very well, but I think my auntie took a picture too. I will have to get it from her.

This is our Family Halloween Picture. Mom & Dad are Greek Gods and Auston & Kolby are Pirates. We like to be silly. We had a great time taking pictures. We went to our church's Harvest Festival. The kids really enjoyed themselves. Auston wants to go back next year. We normally go down the hill and trick or treat. It was nice to have the distraction.

We are going to have a celebration party this weekend for Daniel and Auston. I am so excited to share this special moment with our family and friends. God has been so so Good to Us!

I did it!

Just wanted to add a picture that made me smile.

I finally joined a GYM! I went in today and did a 30 minute workout on a bike, it feels good. On thursday I will have my first ever workout with a Trainer. I am so excited, I probably wont feel that way on friday. I feel like I am accomplishing something. I don't think that I am over weight, but I do need to tone a little on the tummy. I have been asked "when are you due?" Yea, its time to workout. I want to continue walking with my friend Heidi and Tristan. I also hope to join Trish at the GYM in the afternoons. We belong to the same GYM.

I am feeling much better today than I did yesterday. I have gotten some great support from my hubby and friends.

Thank you for answering my prayers God, I needed it. AMEN!

Hurt & Confused

I have had depressing family drama happen over the weekend. Well, we will start with last wednesday. I was told by my 3 year olds Awana coordinator that I need to attend awana's to help him join in on the routine of activities. Um, he is 3 and on the go 24/7. I don't really understand because he is doing his Bear Hugs (awana book) and bringing home projects he did. What is he not participating in? She said that the kids were stepping on him because they were singing and he was laying on the floor. Um, he is 3. They want them to start 2 years before they start kindergarden. I plan on starting when he is 5. I will have to wait and see if he is ready then or not when he is closer to that time. So, I will have to miss bible study and see what the deal is this week. Like I said, I didn't really understand what he was doing wrong, except for act like a 3 year old. Maybe most of the kids start when they are 4, I don't know. We will see on wednesday!

And then on friday, My husband and I dropped off my boys at a family members home and saw that some roommates were smoking tobacco out of a huka. This is not something I need my 11 and 3 year old seeing. Come to find out, there is a lot more going on. I am so depressed that I had to make the decision to not allow my kids at their home anymore. Sometimes I feel that we as Christians are given a certain heightened common sense. I know my husband and I have made the right decision. I have cried so much about this. Family is so important and it has hurt me deeply. When I talked to one of the people involved they said that I was being ignorant and childish about the situation and then continued to laugh at me. WHAT! I didn't even know what to say to that. I just cried. The family member in-charge of this household said "I will talk to them", Not, "Oh no, this is not going to continue in my home".

I am at a loss for words........

Please Lord give me strength. I need you to guide me through this hurt and confusion. Thank You Lord.

Ranet

RANET you say? Rae + Janet = Ranet. We have been best friends for about 6 years now. We will continue to be best friends but, she and her family are moving to Arizona, on SATURDAY!

I took her out last night for dinner and drinks. The place we went to for drinks was beautiful. Stone Brewery. They have a garden outside to sit in, tall trees, pond, waterfalls, tables and chairs in the grass. It was really nice to sit and talk without the loudness of others to bother us. We didn't talk about her moving, I think it is to hard for both of us. We just talked and laughed, like we always do. Rae has been a great friend. I wished that God would have been more present in her life, but I pray everyday for her return. She is a Christian that has gotten caught up in the "world" and lost sight of what God wants from us. I think that happens a lot to people. They are more concerned with what others think and not concerned enough with what GOD is thinking. We were just talking about this in Bible Study last week. How we are conforming to what is going on around us. The Bible says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind" Romans 12:2a. My prayer is that Rae will be transformed and in turn she will be a much happier and fulfilled person. I pray that GOD will do amazing things in her life. She deserves it. I love you Rae!

The Red Bull Air Race

Daniel, Auston, Kolby, Chandra and I all went to the Air Race on the San Diego Bay. It was really awesome. We all had fun. It was great to hang out with Chandra for a day and get to know her better. We are sisters in Christ. She is a great person. Were were excited to watch how the pilots would fly through the obstacle course. They would start off at almost 250 - 300 miles per hour, FAST. Then have to do a course that was made out of these cool air balloons. If they hit one of them they would get a penalty and new one would have to blown up.

Here is a picture of Chandra and I. Getting more and more excited for the race to begin. There were lots of people there. We were on the South Embarcadaro side. Next time I think we would like to try and get tickets on Coronado Island. We had some tree problems at times. Again, that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves.

When the pilot was ready to start the race they would be told "smoke on" and they plane would turn on the smoke. It was really cool to see the smoke as they went through the course. We did have a little rain while we were there, but that didn't stop us from having a good time.

There was a helicopter that flew upside down and did flips. We even saw some sky divers. They got out of the airplane and stood on top of the plane and on the wings. Then they jumped off the plane instead of out of the plane. This picture is so beautiful with the bright blue sky and white puffy clouds. A painting only God Himself could create. If you look closely you can see the strings of smoke coming from the sky divers.

I would defiantly go see this again.

God kept all the pilots and fans safe. It was a beautiful day spent with family and a new friend. Thank you Jesus for the time we get to fellowship with others.

Oh and after the race, we went to my most favorite place to eat "FINS". The best mexican eatery!

(would of added more pictures but my dial up is taking a long long time)

Kolby's Birthday Party

This is a picture of the sprayground at the park. I picked this park because of this water feature. there are six fountains on the ground that are motion censored. The kids had a blast running around in the water.

My oldest son Auston always seems to have to pose for pictures. What a nut. Auston had fun at his brothers birthday party. Although he thought that the gifts were his too. He wanted to be in charge of which gifts were opened in what order and he wanted to play with them first. Silly Kid!

This is a picture of my brother Uncle Jimmy and his lovely girlfriend Anjeanette with Kolby holding their dog Baley. Kolby loves dogs. I think this is such a cute picture. it looks like the dog is scared!

This was a picture taken at the end of our day at home. Kolby got a little to much sun but, still wanted to play with all his new toys. My brother bought him this one. Its a kitty, can you tell? We a had a GREAT time with our friends and family. Thank you to everyone who came. We were able to reconnect with some old friends and I had the chance to further the process of reconnecting with my brother. Thank you GOD! I have prayed for a long time for this and YOUR timing is always perfect.

Thank you to all who came, who doesn't like a good party? I was bummed that none of our friends from ramona came down the hill. I was hoping that someone would of come. This seemed to be another failed attempt at bringing us closer to the friends we have made here. Oh Well, Its all in GOD'S timing. Just like it was for my and my brother.

Kolby's Birthday

Well my son Kolby turned 3 on Wednesday. Kids grow up so fast. Since it has been so hot I decided to take Kolby to the movie theater. He has never been before, I thought it would be fun. He wanted to see Surf's Up, it was already out of the theater. So we saw Ratatouille. Grandma also came along to witness this occasion.

We got our popcorn, candy, sodas and a toy from the toy machine and headed to sit down. There was nobody else in the theater. I thought GREAT! He can do what he wants without bothering anyone. Well there was almost 45 minutes of previews that when the movie started Kolby turned to me and said "I ready to go home mommy". I was able to keep him there. He watched some of the movie, but was more interested in climbing around on the seats and running up and down the isles. I let him. After all it was His Birthday!

After the movie we went into the arcade and let him play the car racing game. After that we went home to tell Daddy all about it. We had a blast.

We are having his party on saturday.
I look forward to many more years of "first's" with my kids. I thank you God for all the wonderful times I have shared with my boys in their journey through life. Please grant me the wisdom to teach them your will.
God Bless!

Flash Flood?

Well Sunday was an eventful day. We had a flash flood. It rained, I should say poured for 45 minutes straight. The water started to come up onto our porch and threatened going into the house. My hubby was great, he got out the shovel and started making little ditches to run the water off another way. Our whole little front yard was flooded. The kids were excited. My almost 3 year old, he'll be three on wednesday, doesn't like to get his cloths wet. So, he just got down to his diaper and enjoyed the rain. It was still hot out, felt like arizona weather.

This picture is what my Iguana hangs out in, when its sunny. It is going to take a couple of days for the mud to dry out. He will be upset. He has enjoyed the weather this summer. "Bud" just turned 13 this summer.

My hubby had to dig out his car that day. We have clay mud, so its pretty bad when it gets soaked. Fun! Fun!

Later that day my hubby and I went out to dinner. A friend that works at the Barona Casino gave us a complimentary dinner for two gift certificate. It was at the Sage Restaurant. We were given a certificate for the buffet last time, it was great. We hadn't been to the Sage before so we were excited. We were even more excited to find out that the dinner was for 2 appetizers, any 2 entree's, 2 drinks, 2 deserts and 2 coffee's, as well as indian fry bread, 2 salads and rolls. WELL, the best part was the ANY 2 entree's, we ordered 2 New York Steaks and Lobster's. We would of never spent that on a meal, it was a night to remember. We are so grateful for that gift.

Yesterday, we went to my dad's house to celebrate his 53rd birthday. We had a good time. I love being around my family. I love them so much. My dad bought this game called Top Toss, anyone play it? It is fun, we had blast trying to beat each other. We are going to buy one for ourselves. You can find them at Toy's R Us online or in an ABC Catalog for a reasonable price. Anyways, hanging out and laughing for the afternoon was relaxing. I wish we spent more time doing that, but of course our jobs and everything else gets in the way of that. Be joyful for the time spent together.

God has always blessed my whole family. We are grateful for everyday we get to spend with each other. Thank You Jesus!

Beach Days

Me and my girlfriend Rae like to take our kids to the beach. Cold or Hot days, just as long as the kids are having fun and we can get out of the house. Last week it was HOT and yesterday it was overcast and COLD, until 5 that is. The sun finally came out and the clouds started to break apart. About 10 min after that a wedding party showed up to take their pictures on the beach. It was beautiful. God planned that wonderfully for them. So, after we watched them take pictures and leave, we got into the water. Our kids love the water and love dig holes in the sand. They also like to be goofy, you will see this in the pictures I post. Since I have to drive about an hour to get to the beach, we stay and eat dinner there. I have a little propane grill and we cook up hot dogs and then smores. It is a lot of fun. My oldest will start school monday, so he will miss out on the beach, because going on the weekend is crazy busy. Way to many people. Baby Marcus joined us as well, but slept the whole time. I think he likes the sound of the waves, reminds him of mommy tummy. The boys also made us a little sitting area. How sweet. Boys love to build. Nick is 14 and is great with my kids, 11 and almost 3. He is like the older brother that keeps them in line without tattling. Its great.
I am sure going to miss them when they move to Arizona. This is a horrible picture of me. It was the only one taken of us on this day so, I wanted to keep my blog in the moment.

God has blessed me with having Rae in my life. We have helped each other along the way in our friendship. I wish that I could of helped her become closer with God. I have tried to get her back on track. She just isn't ready. I will always be here for her and her family. I love them all.

My secret sister sent me a newsletter from ChristianityToday.com. Have you heard of it? I haven't had time to sit down and read it but, it looks great. That was very thoughtful of her. I am looking forward to more inspirational notes from her. I didn't think that being part of the secret sisters was going to be so rewarding. Surprise! Thank You Jesus for guiding me in signing up with the secret sisters. That is way all my Praise goes to YOU!

Family Time

Auston, Me and Kolby while we wait for daddy!

We went to Sea World for a little time together before school starts. It will once again be just Kolby and I. We have fun but, Kolby is a daddy's boy and it is hard for him when daddy is gone so much. That's life right? I have alone time to look forward to with him and his birthday is coming up, Kolby will be 3. I will still be playing softball and going to bible study. I need to start walking again, so I think that monday will be a good time to start. I am also planning on going to the wild animal park once a week to walk with Kolby, he just loves the animals. Maybe I will even get invited to "coffee" again with the other mom's. I am still finding it hard to make new friends. I have some new friends at church and in my bible study but, that is where I see and talk to them. I guess I need to be more verbal about wanted to hang out or just start inviting people to things or just over to my house to hang out. I am not good with that stuff. Time to learn right? I don't even think anyone reads my blogs, but it is a good journal even if nobody is interested in what I have to say. I think I will start printing them out and saving them. My dad's birthday is also coming up. I am always finding it hard to get him gifts because he always buys them for himself or they are to expensive for me to buy. This year I have a gift. He is a fisherman and I have found the perfect gift to add to his gear. It is from CutCo. It is an everything knife. I can't wait to give it to him. We just recently bought CutCo knifes and I LOVE THEM! They cut through everything. I needed a good set of knifes and now I got them, they even came with a lifetime warranty. Can't get much better than that.

My prayer this week will be from Psalms "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" Psalms 46:1

I need to remember that I am not alone and I can get through this. God will bring me friends to keep me accountable. I have made one accountable friend, Christine. She has been wonderful. We only see each other at church but, we are in contact with e-mails. I am also part of a secret sister thing a church now and I hope that I will make new Christian friends through that also. In the end, I guess it is my responsibility to HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE!

This is me and my best friend Rae with her new grandson Marcus. He is so handsome. His mom Ashla is doing great.

My boys are goofy. my kids and i went to the wild animal park. we go there a lot. i just watch them play and take their pictures. they make me laugh all the time. my little one gets really excited when new kids come to play at the playground. If we go on the weekend, he must play with at least 50-60 different kids. Most people go to the park to watch the shows and see the animals. we have been so many times that I just let the kids play and walk where they want. so while we play the new kids come and play and leave within 10 minutes or so. its a lot of fun for them. I have met a lot of other people that do the same thing or are from out of town and ask about the shows and places outside the park to see. I try and go at least once a week. when school starts they have little activities for my young one in the mornings.

On saturday me and my hubby got some time alone. we went to the rose bowl in pasadena for the DCI World Championships. for you who do not know what i am talking about it is Marching Bands from all over competing in this competition for best over all. my hubby is a band director with his own marching band, but these are kids from 16-21 in a private organization just for performing. they do not belong to a school. it was a lot of fun. the kids spent the night at grandmas and my hubby and i were able to sleep in and go out to lunch after church. it was GREAT! I love my kids, don't get me wrong, it is just nice to be alone once in a while.

We need to all make sure that we are Thanking GOD Everyday for the blessings he has given and will give to us.

Its been a while

Well, I haven't blogged for a while so I think its time. I have been a little busy with my kids. Over the weekend I was a witness to a birth. My friend was in labor from early friday morning until sunday at 10:11 am. She was so tired, poor thing. It was her first baby and she did great. With my first child I was in labor for 21 hours and with my second it was half that. She had a baby boy, Marcus Ray, and he is so handsome. She was telling her doctor how she was ready to have this baby because she wanted to finally get some sleep, WHAT, she was in for a treat then. Its hard waking up every 2-4 hours to feed a baby. She is adjusting well. I am going to see them on friday.

My friend who had the baby is my best friends daughter. I feel sad knowing that in a short time, before the end of this year, that they will be moving. My best friend is moving to arizona and her daughter to LA. Not seeing them all the time is going to be hard. They have been my great friends for almost 7 years. I know that I will not get the chance to see them very often. I also know that this is what they need. It will be the best for them to get out of this town. Issues I don't dare discuss.

On another note, my hubby and oldest son are getting ready to go back to school. It will just be me and Kolby again. We are planning a family trip to sea world before school starts. After school starts we don't get to spend a lot of time with my hubby. He is a band director and it is marching season. he works monday through saturday and has 2 night rehearsals during the week. Its hard on my kids but we have been doing this for 11 years. My husband has a passion for teaching music. He has also been able to offer the strength of GOD to several of his students. This is his missions.

Thanks for reading.....

One Week

i purchased a trampoline for my boys on fathers day. it took me 4 hours and 10 bruises later to get it up on my own. i don't think i will do that again. the kids love it. i would put a pic of it up but my computer wont let me today.
Well my hubby has been gone for one week now. 2 more to go. I have struggled a little but all in all i am doing fine. we have gone to the beach and had dinner with friends and family. I think the hardest part is not having a break. my hubby would come home at night and i would go and do the shopping alone. having to cart them around is stressful. they don't like it. but we are making do. my 2 year old asks for his daddy everyday. my hubby calls us every night, that seems to help my son. my 11 year old is fine, i am sure he misses his daddy but is not showing it yet.

God will provide and keep us safe while we are apart from one another.

My Auntie Fern

I just got some sad news. My aunt Fern went home with the Lord on my anniversary, june 12th. She was 102, lived a long life. She was my great-grandpa's baby sister. We all have to go HOME sometime. Just wanted to share that with you all. God Bless!

Gone

Well my husband left this morning. I dropped him and my son Auston off in the mall parking lot where my dad was waiting with his trailer. Kolby and I were so sad to see them go. Since we had to leave the house at 5:30am, Kolby fell to sleep at 8:30am for his nap. We are going to go down to the Wild Animal Park after nap time so we can keep our minds off Daddy and brother leaving. I will pick up Auston on wednsday after he get to my dad's house. Before Kolby went down for his nap he kept going outside and saying "Papa, Daddy come home now" how sad! I think that daddy being gone will be really hard on him. 3 weeks. I am also going to go and buy a trampoline maybe later tonight or tomorrow. That will keep the kids occupied too! My boys are attached to their daddy, that's a good thing. Well that is all for now, talk to you girls soon. bye bye!

Wedding Anniversary

Daniel and I got married in 1998, June 12th. We went to Las Vegas and got married at "The Little Chapel of Flowers". My parents and brother drove out, my other brother drove out from Denver, Daniel's dave drove out from New Mexico and Daniel's grandma and aunt lived just outside of Vegas. It was a nice wedding.

June 12th 1999, Daniel and I renewed our vows in front of all our family and friends. The Pastor I had growing up did the ceremony, Pastor Andy. We had a good time. Daniel's African Drum Ensamble did all our music. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Last night Daniel and I went out for our 9th Anniversary. Next year I get my 10 year anniversary band, can't wait ;) We went out to dinner, at the Outback Steakhouse in poway. We were sat next to the KUSI newscaster "BILL" (can't remember his last name), boy is he short. He was there eating dinner with his wife and two little girls. That was cool! After dinner we went to Home Depot, we had gotten the worse service ever there. I think they cut back on staff or something. We had to get a new screen door, our two year old ripped the last one of the hinges. Our final destination was the bowling alley. Daniel and I played 2 games, he beat me at both. Isn't there a rule that I have to win one of the games???? It was a lot of fun none the less. I love having date night.

Well, I have got a lot to do, Daniel is leaving on Saturday and I have to get things together for him. I have to pack Auston too! God Bless you weekend!

Family Caravan

My dad was very gracious in giving us a wonderful gift. For Mother's day and my boys birthdays we received a trip on the family caravan at the wild animal park. We had a great time. We had an up close an personal look at a strange looking animal that was part rabbit, squirrel and kangaroo. It was cool. Here is a picture:


We got to feed the giraffes. They are a lot taller than you think. It was really awesome to see how long there tongues are. You can see this in the picture with me. I can't thank my dad enough for giving us this experience. While we were on the caravan my dad was walking around with Kolby at the park. Kolby loves to feed the ducks, go to the petting zoo and ride the carousel.
Thanks Papa/Dad and Mary/Grandma Mary!



I am currently doing a project at home. Finally painting my bedroom furniture. It is that old school off white with gold. Every little girl had a piece of this furniture. I am painting it black and the handles gray. It looks sooooo much better. I should be done this weekend. I always procrastinate on projects, why? It doesn't take very long once you get started. Its just getting started to begin with. I have a lot of projects lined up to do while Daniel is in Oregon. I will need to keep busy so I don't worry so much about him being gone.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

Rock Climbing

We had a lot of fun watching the kids rock climb. this is the second party we have had there and we might be going back next year. Auston turned 11 and was showered with some great gifts. before he went to bed that night he said "that was the best birthday ever", that made my heart melt. moments like those make me so proud to be a mother. i am so glad we could make is day special. one of my sons gifts was a family caravan at the wild animal park. my husband and i get to join auston on this exciting caravan. the trip takes you through africa on a truck and you get to feed the giraffes. cool! we are doing this over memorial weekend. we thank God everyday for blessing our family. God has given us so much.

On a different note... we have found a fixer upper home in ramona that we are very interested in purchasing. my father will be coming up on the weekend to help us decide if it is going to be worth the blood, sweat and tears to repair. we pray that God will help us in this big decision. i know He will be with us every step of the way.

ON Another Note... I just pray that my husband and I make some life long friendships here in ramona. Especially for my husband. He needs Christian friends to hang out with, all he does is work and stay home with us. He deserves to get out and have fun with friends on his own. I want that too, some Christian women to hold me accountable. It will happen, I just need patience.

Thanks for listening.

A Little MORE...

Me and my brothers. Anjeanette, Jimmy, Jordan, Me, Kolby and Daniel. You can catch a glimpse of Auston in the background.

Me with Mary and My Dad. Awwwwwwww!

Daniel's birthday is on thursday, so tuesday night we went to the Padre game for teacher appriciation night. We had a lot of fun, it was great to have a date night. Daniel is a wonderful man, although it was his birthday gift, he kept asking me what and where I wanted to eat, what I wanted to do before the game started and so on. I Love Him! I will make a cake for him on his birthday, we will probably just stay home with the kids and celebrate together. Auston is turning 11 on Saturday, we are indoor rock climbing. Then I have a bridal shower to attend on Sunday. CRAZY! May is so busy for us. My Mom's birthday, mother's day, two cousins, daniel shares his birthday with and aunt and cousin, auston, another cousin and then a brother. Lots of fun. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful family.

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE........

I need some prayer. I have mentioned before that my husband wants to adopt Auston. The only thing stopping this is the termination of parental rights of the biological father. He has been absent for almost 10 years now. I have been in contact with Auston's aunt. I thought that she would help me, she was so excited to hear from us and wanted to meet Auston. Auston was so excited too. NOW, she won't return my phone calls, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW SHE COULD DO THIS TO AUSTON, I don't know what to tell him, he is going to be so upset. It has been 3 weeks since my last conversation with her and we were supposed to get together for memorial weekend. Just please pray for me to find the right words when I talk to Auston about this. Thank You....

Wedding

My Dad waiting for his soon to be wife, with brother Paul.

Mary's son Steven, he is a professional guitar player for "Unwritten Law". He played a tune for us at the end of the ceremony. He has great talent.

We surprised my dad and his wife with some hula. My dad wasn't allowed to wear a hawaiian tie for his wedding, we love hawaiian apparel, my Auntie Renee's family is from Hawaii. We made them Lei's out of 100, $1 bills. It took us 4 hours to fold the dollars and then my Auntie Michele sewed the lei's together. My Auntie also made a bouquet of money flowers for Mary.

I joined in on the "Rainbow Song" with my Auntie's and Cousins. I am in the back row, center. My dad was so happy he cried. I couldn't look at him while I was performing because I would loose my place.

We had a great time at the wedding. Both my brothers attended the wedding. We danced and ate some great food. I am so happy for my dad and Mary. They really love each other.

May God Bless Them With there Life Together.

Family

Here is a pic from our last family reunion, December 05.

I am so happy to be visiting with my family. I have an Auntie, Uncle and 2 boy cousins from Orlando, FL. here. My Uncle, Auntie and 2 girl cousins from Kuna, ID. And I have my dad's cousin from Nashville coming this week. They are all here for my dad's wedding this weekend. Yeah!

I have been talked into doing a hula dance with my Philippino extended family for my dad's wedding. My family loves Hawaii. It will be a surprise for my dad. He wanted me to have the girls dance on his 50th birthday, but I was sick with my last pregnancy. I know that this will make him so happy. My cousins dance at most all of there get togethers and I have always admired from a distance. Well they said that my dad would be so happy and proud and so on, that now I feel obligated to join in the dance. I am nervous because if I learn this dance I will be expected to perform at other family functions as well. Oh well, the price of being in such a loving family. I will put of pics of our performance next week. My cousins from Idaho will be doing there Irish Folk dancing as well, with my uncle playing the flute. My dad's wife's son (mary's son, would have been easier) will be doing an acustic gutiar solo. Its a total family event.

Spring Break

We went to South Carlsbad State Beach Park for spring break. It was our first time camping at the beach. My wonderful father let us barrow 'bambi" his airstream trailer. We had so much fun. The picture is of part of the staircase we had go up and down a few times a day to get from the campsites to the beach. There is two more flights of stairs you don't see. My calves were killing me the first day. Defiantly got my exercise in for the week. My kids love the water. It didn't matter that we had some cold weather. They also love digging in the sand with there dad. Auston found a lot of shells and even taught his little brother to throw rocks in the waves. It was kind of hard explaining to a 2 year old that he couldn't throw rocks when other people were around. THAT WAS FUN! We even had some friends join us for dinner one night, Auston and his friend Nick rode bikes and played catch with the football. There were a lot of other kids there too. Kolby can make friends with anyone. He would just walk up to strangers and say "what's up" and want to play. We didn't want to come home, I just wanted my bed. LOL!

I am going up to orange county this weekend to watch our color guard perform in the championships. I also have some family coming in on saturday from out of state. Florida and Idaho. I am so excited to see them. A little nervous that they all want to come and watch me play softball. They will haggle me, I just know it. And my dad's wedding is just around the corner.

Until next time......

Monday Again!

Well I am feeling GREAT! I am over my sickness and the doctor found out another little problem I was having also. My thyroid is low and is the cause of my tiredness, headaches and lack of weight loss. My goodness, anything else??? We had a good weekend. This Saturday I am giving my dad's future wife a bridal shower, I am so excited. We are going to have a "tea party". This will be the first time I get to meet Mary's family. My dad is scedualed to get married next month.

Another cool thing is we are going camping at the beach the monday following Easter. My oldest son is excited.

This friday my husband and I are going to a concert together, Unwritten Law. One of the band members is my dad's future wife's (Mary) son. This will be the first time we see him perform. It will just be nice to have a date night with my husband.

I hope that everyones start to the week is great!

a short one....

Well I have been sick since last Wednesday. It started with feeling achy and tired. I got a migraine later that night and a rash all over thursday night. Turns out I have a viral infection that has the symptoms of the flu but you also have an itchy rash all over your body, GREAT!

My rash is almost gone but still itches, my migraine is still here and I still feel a little weak. I made a chiropractor appointment today to help with my head problem and hopefully by tomorrow I will be feeling close to a 100% again. I need to get back on track with my walk(s).

Thank you to all the wonderful people at my church who called and offered there help. It made us feel great.

Mon. Nite Drama

Yikes. I had to leave early to go to the bank and stop by my tax ladies office before my softball game. It is all in san marcos. Well, the bank was closed and when i started heading to the tax office..... my car dies. In traffic, luckily I was able to park it in the median out of the way, but people wanted to still honk at me. Like I had any control over it. I had my flashers on! So I call my friend and her husband to come help me push my car onto a side street. Played my game, which we won, then waited for my husband to come down after work and wait with me for a tow truck. The tow truck showed up just before 10pm. I got lucky actually, my friends own the tow company. We finally make it home after 11pm. Now we are down to one car, yippee! I get to only cart my kids around, but my husband now too. We are having the car looked at tomorrow, I just pray we can afford to fix it.

I do feel really blessed that my car didn't die on the freeway, in the fast lane or something. Thank you God!

Monday

I had a great weekend! Went to a baby shower and saw some old friends. My husband had a drum-line tournament, they took home first place. On Sunday I went shopping for my dad's (soon to be) wife's bridal shower. I had a great time picking out all the little gifts for prizes and other decorations for the party. The woman marring my dad is wonderful. They have been dating for over two years now and decided to take the plunge. And I couldn't be happier.

I went for a walk this morning with my friends Heidi and Tristan. I feel great. Walking in the morning helps we wake up and feel like I can get things done today. Kolby was great, he actually stayed in his stroller. For a two year old, that's a big deal. I look forward to more walks with them. It's more motivating when you have another adult to go with.

Monday looking Great so far.