let the celebrations begin

we had my family christmas gathering yesterday. we do a gift exchange since there are so many of us now. i had my niece monica this year. abercrombie and fitch perfume and gift card. my sister had me, yah! gap gift card and a COACH wristlet for me. i love that no one stuck with the budget this year; ). we gave my parents a really cool album with pictures of each of us from a photo booth. have you done one of those lately? OMG, so much fun. everyone did it, brothers, sister, sister-in-laws, niece and nephews. then we filled out a questionnaire about ourselves and each of us made a scrapbook page. really fun, and my parents loved it.

tomorrow, it's christmas with the brocketts. christmas eve we will be in brea with tom and sue. christmas day we will be home all day for the first time in forever. maybe even in our pajamas all day. bob and d will visit for lunch and my parents are coming over for dinner. i'm excited to give bobby his gift, but i can't talk about it because he reads this, and talks to you all. i'll post later what it was.

i did go out shopping today. i didn't have anything to buy, i just wanted to experience some christmas-ness without the stress of getting what i need and moving on. but i did get these in red . . .on sale of course! perfect for christmas day.

hope you are having fun and not running around. see you soon.

yes

-i am stuck in the stress of the holidays
-i have been christmas shopping every day for the past two weeks and i'm still not done.
-i have to make cookies and brownies for sofia's class, cupcakes for 30 kids for Jordan's class and sugar cookies for andrew's class by next week.
-i have to get jordan's birthday present.
-i have to help jordan with his book report, due monday.
- i have been keeping up with my christmas journal. you can see it here.
-we have our christmas tree up.
-i could use a vacation.

hope everyone is doing ok.

busy having fun

we had so much fun celebrating bobby's birthday this weekend. saturday we went to burbank for surf n turf at bob and d's house. oh, but first we picked up cupcakes at yummy cupcakes. mmmm. finally, i took bobby to the movies. well, actually he had the passes and he drove, so technically he took me. but it was my suggestion. we saw "dan in real life." what a great movie. sweet, sentimental, funny. we are big steve carell fans, (that's what she said?).


sunday was the granada hills holiday parade. it's right by our house, so sofia and i walked there and met up with my parents and brother's family. it was a beautiful day. we had fun waving at everyone as they walked by. sofia loved the dogs and the dancers and all of the christmas music. lots of girl and boy scouts. and all the way at the end were the y-guides. andrew's first time in the parade and he looked like he could care less. but he said he had fun. then the gang came back to our house for tortas and tacos. and of course an ice cream roll cake. happy birthday bobby.

friday was jordan's swim team banquet. it was great to see everyone again, even the coach. they had an awards ceremony where they handed out trophies to the mvp, coach's award and most improved swimmer.
our little jordan won the most improved trophy. we are so proud. what else can we say. there was a slideshow with pictures from the season. it made us all teary eyed. jordan was "eh" about the whole night. more interested in how helium works and who invented the balloon. oh well.

finally, i am working on a christmas journal this year. part of an online class i am taking. it sounds like alot of fun. everyday there will be a prompt to get me to write about the season and really help me focus on this time. here is the first page, a manifesto about why i want to journal this christmas.


have a great week. oh and we hope the breast cancer walk in san diego was a huge success. wish we could have been there.

let me fill you in

with all of the holiday todo we never mentioned andrew's t-ball experience. what a joy it was to see him grow to love this sport. he was the one that wanted to do it. but we did have to push him a bit when the time came. he was amazing. followed all of the coach's instructions. he learned the correct stance, throwing and catching techniques. and he can be baseball ready at any time. towards the end of the season they were pitching to the kids and he was hitting and taking bases. the best part was when he ran to home and then would just stand on the base and look at us, even when other runners were coming behind him. at the last game he got a medal (he was a little disappointed because he came into this thinking he was getting a trophy) but he was proud none the less. we are signing him up to play in the spring which begins in march, i think. looking forward to that.




had a great thanksgiving with my family. lots of good food and plenty of laughs. we made lists of things we are thankful for. here's a glance;
- Dora the explorer
- bionicles
- baseball and swimming
- that happy feeling in the morning when we hear little voices outside our bedroom door
- the cleaning lady
- food
- and cows (yep andrew had to throw that in for fun)



then we had another great thanksgiving celebration with the brockett clan. aaron, cherry, kate and the kids were in town and we got a chance to hang out and let the little cousins get to know each other. more turkey, cranberries and stuffing for all. it was fun watching the little boys (and big boys) play baseaball and run around. we are looking forward to visiting them when we go to colorado next year for the wedding.

yes, today we are cleaning out the garage and decorating for christmas. it feels weird to be doing it so early but exciting because we get to enjoy it longer. i'm working on some holiday crafts and of course our christmas card.

hoping everyone gets home safe and sound.

grateful

just wanted to stop in and say happy thanksgiving to those of you on the net today. so much to be thankful for. most importantly that i have my family and friends happy and healthy. especially today, i am feeling refreshed and renewed. making some changes around here and making plans for some more changes, too. feeling like we are getting a chance to start anew and make improvements in our lives that will help us to live a happier life. also getting through some of those things i have been putting off and making excuses for not doing. see what happens when bobby has a few days off to hang around the house with us. he wants to make some changes. i'm thankful because it is what i needed to get it done!! i love new beginnings.

hope everyone enjoys their turkey or whatever you chose to eat today!! i know we will.

love to everyone.
the bees

what a season!!

jordan had his last swim meet on sunday. it has been such an incredile learning experience for all of us. to think of those times when it didn't feel like it was going to happen. how he resisted and fought and i questioned what i was doing. struggling through practices 3 times a week, having to take all the kids and keep watch around the pool. getting up early to be at the meets for warm up, sunday we had to be there at 7:15 AM. who gets up at 6 o'clock on sunday? and jord swimming through it all; the heat, the cold, the tears, the soreness, the coach yelling at him, the coach praising him. it really has been an emotional time. jord has proved that he is capable of this and that he does it well. he was never motivated by winning, he told me he just wanted to do better than he did the last time. he never looked at what place he was in but instead paid attention to the points that he earned for his team. i have learned so much from him. he is a remarkable human being. we have learned to deal with his resistance and push through. we have discovered the bond of being on a team and supporting each other. we believed in him and were blown away by what he could do. jordan has received the reward from persistance, dedication and practice. In the end he earned 5 medals (more to come after we get the official results from this past meet), 3 heat winner ribbons and the belief that he can do anything he sets his mind to. will he swim next year? i hope so. i'm not sure how he feels though. i know i will miss it and i think he will too. looking forward to the banquet in a few weeks. it will be a fun chance to get together with his team, celebrate everyone's successes and he will get his trophy. i think it will mean more to him than any of the other awards because it is a trophy for committing to something and seeing it through to the end. to some this was just a sport but to us it was a life lesson. i feel so thankful to have gone through this experience. as i look at some of the pictures from this time my heart is full of pride and amazement for my little boy. what a blessing he is in our lives. and to think of what else he will accomplish in his life . . . wow!

time really flies

i still can't believe that my little neice is 15, well almost 16. we celebrated her quinceañera this weekend, kind of a combo sweet sixteen and quinceañera. my sister-in-law did a fabulous job putting together such a memorable day for EVERYONE. in case you don't know, a quinceañera is a celebration and sort of coming-of-age party for girls. my family has been planning this party for over a year. yes, it really is like a wedding. there is a special mass where monica was celebrated and blessed. then there was a party at a local reception hall. very elegant, yet youthful. my other sister-in-law practiced a waltz with my neice and her "court" of friends that accompanied her. beautiful. these kids worked all summer to get it right and it was great. my brother's band played at the reception. defintely a family affair.


we were honored that monica asked me and bobby to be her sponsors for the event. we got to dress up and be with her and support her throughout the day and of course throughout her life. i was so proud of her. she looked beautiful and composed. wow, she can start dating now!!

i worked on the invitations, favors, and the seating board. my scrapbooking supplies came in handy. sofia was also a part of the court. she was wearing a pretty dress and kept saying she was a princess. she danced the night away, until 11:30. to see her and then look at monica i know how quickly time will go and we want to enjoy and remember it all.

trick or treat

today was the halloween carnival at the boys' school. fun but a lot of work. andrew had his first costume parade. he is perfect as anakin skywalker.
as room mom i, along with 3 other moms, were in charge of creating a booth sponsored by our class. we came up with the concept and parents donated items. one big job but it was a hit. kids bobbed for apples and tried to eat donuts that were hanging on a string without using their hands, thus our booth name, "dunk - n - donuts". everyone loved it. i don't think i want to see another powered donut again!

trick or treating at my parent's house tonight. really tired, but excited to go out with the kids. hopefully i'll get a good photo of all three kids together and will post if i do.

happy halloween!!

crazy time

going on day five of having the kids home. friday and monday were planned days off due to parent teacher conferences. but today school was cancelled due to high winds, the fires and intermittent power outages. scary. i'm glad that they are home with me because the wind is cranking and when you step outside you can smell the smoke. the closest fire to us is the stevenson's ranch one. not TOO close, but close enough. i think what is more of a threat for us right now are these winds that make the whole house creak and shake. i love october but this strange weather is very unpleasant.

friday i took the boys, and myself, to get flu shots. and of course on the car ride home andrew starts sniffling and not feeling so well. now sofia has it too. she is scheduled for her shot on thursday at her 2 yr. check up


here are a few pics from our disney trick or treat night. had so much fun getting candy, going on tower of terror with becky, and watching jordan and sofia dance and dance and dance. at that point andrew was so sick he was asleep.

then we had a little birthday party for sofia and jeff on saturday.


sunday we had no power, which was actually kind of fun. no tv, no clocks or computers. just hanging out playing baseball in the backyard, reading. we did go to my parents house for dinner and a card game. by the time we got home the power was back on. i was kind of looking forward to lighting candles and enjoying the peace.

these conditions are kind of scary. trying not to read too much into it. but hoping that it goes away just as quickly as it came. melissa - are you guys home? stay safe everyone. love the b's

set back

wow. what a weekend. we've had three full days of running around with the kids. i am so tired. i thought the weekends were about relaxing. friday after picking up the kids from school and going to swim class, we went to the miniature golf park for a birthday party. i was hesitant to go with all three kids and no other helpers but i want andrew to have a chance to make friends and i should be social with their mom's right? not really. the kids were running all over the place. did you know you can sweat playing miniature golf? well if you are running around chasing boys and a 2 year old, you sweat. the kids enjoyed it but it was too much for me. by 6:30 pm when i was finally driving home i had had it.

saturday bobby took the boys to t-ball practice and then to a carnival at a friends school. i stayed home with sofia and started making vests for jordan's class performance. a columbus day play. we have to make vests for 24 children. then it was church and dinner at our favorite mexican place.

yesterday was a swim day. so we were up early and at the pool by 8am. jord had three events again but it was not his day. he finished 6th overall in the backstroke, yah!! but when it came to freestyle they moved him up a level based on his last meet and he didn't fare so well. not sure if he was tired, full from breakfast or just not into it that morning. we would love to see improvement every time he swims but i guess you don't always get that.

andrew's t-ball team tried hitting the ball as it was pitched to them by the coach. very funny to see and the kids did amazingly well. andrew got a hit. but to see him as the catcher again, and again he dropped the ball. then as pitcher and he doesn't run after the ball, i wonder if maybe they are just not aggressive enough for these sports. i think they may be missing the competitive gene. when it was over and we were ready to go home, sofia injured her arm. we've seen this happen before. becky remember the wild animal park incident? anyway she cried a lot and because it has happened before, we decided to take her to the emergency room. by the time we got there she was fine and we felt kind of silly for being there. but we had her checked out anyway. well, she has nursemaid's elbow. and that basically means that her bones are weak at the elbow and they can easily be moved out of place. the doctor showed us how to pop it back and that was it. no x-ray, no casts or splints, not even a bandaid. just a tutorial on how to set her arm back. well that and $100 co-pay for emergency room attention.

now it's monday morning and it feels like we never had a break. even jordan commented on how sundays are supposed to be lazy and relaxed. well, i don't think we ever really had those days even before sports and injuries.

A Word From the Other Side

Bobby here, just chiming in to share a slice o' life from my point-of-view. Here's the prayer I used to tuck in the boys tonight...

*****************************

Dear Lord in Heaven,
Thank you for our house, our family, and our happy life. But please use your almighty power to smite down this temple of irrational consumerism. The worshipers of the false idol TARGET have built a new altar dedicated to schlepping low-grade middle-class stuff of questionble necessity. They have turned away from your wisdom, o' Lord. Will they find salvation in trendy logo tees, towel racks, linens and bedding adorned with popular cartoon characters, and other disposable household goods? Will a caramel macchiatto quench a thirsty soul? The mere mention of Balboa & San Fernando sends my lovely wife in a drooling, cash-fueled blood frenzy. Please do something - time, and money - is running out.

Your frugal disciples,
Bobby, the boys, and the family checkbook

PS: if you do pencil-in a smiting, please forgive the Xbox aisle. Salvation is always found in mashing buttons...

FINALLY!!!!

we waited all summer. we watched it grow from a pile of dirt into this incredible site . we have dreamed and planned and waited. and now is the time . . .our Target is open. OK, maybe not exciting for some but we, i mean i am just giddy. since we moved into this neighborhood this target has been so convenient to have. so when they closed it down for remodeling i was bummed.

we got to witness the entire process. from demolition to reconstruction. the boys loved watching all of the pieces come together. the big dump trucks and bulldozers and sky high cranes. the walls going up, the parking structure being built, paint, roof, landscaping. it was a fun thing to see. but for me it's the convenience of having it right down the street. when you have 15 things to get and 13 of them you can get from target you would be happy too.

so sofia and i went there today. it officially opens on sunday, but they secretly opened it yesterday. my list consisted of toothpaste, a birthday gift for a friend of Andrew's, mayonnaise, juice boxes, cereal, and sweats for Jordan. i got all that while sipping my caramel macchiato from the starbucks inside of target, i know. and if i needed diapers, they would be there, a t-shirt, there, windex, yup, sheets, you guessed it. they even carry milk, bread and hamster food. ok we don't have a hamster but if we needed it, it would be there. this place truly was made for mom's like me who don't want to spend ALL morning taking their kids (sofia) in and out of the car as they run from errand to errand.

and i must add that this new and improved target is huge, clean and fully stocked. it even has an escalaltor that will take your shopping cart down. i know it won't stay this way for long, especially with the holiday's coming. there will be crowds, yes there will be a time when i can't find what i need, there will be traffic and carts that don't move and grumpy people, but let me enjoy this moment while i can. it's the little things in life that matter.

and here's a picture of sofia enjoying what she got from target; a princess doll and a new sweatsuit.

thanks gigi and great grandpa for the birthday gift card.

hope your day is filled with happy little moments like these.

she's two

and i can't believe it. what happened to the little baby? where are the bottles and pacifiers and blankets. i don't even carry a diaper bag anymore. she plays with dolls and can carry on a conversation with anyone. she sings songs from high school musical 2 and dresses like a big girl. she has an attitude and stands her ground. what happened to the little baby that i held in my arms two years ago and cried with joy to hold my little girl for the first time. her sweet smile and adorable personality bring sunshine to my life and my heart. we had a "small" but loving celebration. all of her grandparents were with her, aunts, uncles and cousins and even some friends. she was so exicted when we sang happy birthday to her. her smile was wide and beaming. and finally there are dishes and dollhouses and more girl clothes in the house. what fun she and i will have. (the boys secretly enjoy having it in the house too). i think that now i will just watch her grow and discover. she has exceeded every expecation that i had. i can only imagine what surprises we are in for. thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate her birthday and looking forward to celebrating with others in the weeks to come.

please wait

the kids are watching a disney christmas video, i just ordered an advent calendar from pottery barn kids and there is a christmas catalog on the kitchen table. i'm not ready for this . . .

proud mama

sorry, but i have to . . .jordan had a swim meet last sunday. we were there with lots of anxiety but hopeful that he would do well. he swam in three events; backstroke, freestyle and anchor for the relay. they had different heats based on the child's times from the previous meet. there was some confusion with the backstroke event. jordan didn't swim in his heat because they put him in the wrong spot. and yes i was furious, but when he swam he did pretty good. he placed 5th overall for his age group. then they did the freestyle and he won his heat!! he got a ribbon for that. on tuesday at practice they pass out medals and ribbons for overall winners. jordan got third place overall for freestyle!! so they gave him two medals, one for 3rd place and one for 5th place. he was so happy and i am so proud. when he talked to bobby about it at dinner, bobby said, "see, you didn't like it at first but now look at what you have accomplished." to which jordan said, "well i still don't really like it but i'm glad i did it." that's how it goes around here.


after the meet we went to this really cool park here in granada hills for the y-guides nation event. jordan and bobby have been a part of this YMCA father-son program since he was in pre-school. this year andrew got to join in the fun. they have monthly meetings, trips to the big bear and catalina and events like this family picnic. i wish i had my camera handy to capture the moment when all of the dads had to play leap frog. it was a sight to see. we brought a picnic, played games and had fun with the other families. someday sofia will be a part of this group too. they call it y-princesses. looking forward to that.

recap

i know it's been a while. i have been wanting to post many times over the last few weeks but there has always been a reason not to. the biggest one being i have no energy. here's what we've been up to:


-starting our fourth week of school. andrew is really enjoying it. it's been fun seeing the work come home. i have to say i am a little surprised by how much he knows. and he is so happy to share his day with me. he loves music and spanish. he also talks about social studies and math. last week he came home with a puppet of johnny appleseed and explained the story of who he was. did you know his real name was john chapman? andrew did. he's making friends and loves his teacher. i have gotten so many comments about how cute he is. glad to see that others feel the same way. he is happy. i am happy.


-jord is doing great too. really likes his teacher, she is wonderful. he is enjoying math, reading three books at the same time; one for a book report, one for silent reading at school and one for fun. he's also been doing well in swimming. he has a meet tomorrow and he's a little anxious about it but we know he will do well. he's having a hard time thinking of a halloween costume. i'd like to cross that off my list soon.


-sofia is going to be 2 in a week. i can't believe it. she already acts like she's five. she loves school also. especially the songs and playing out on the yard. yesterday i took the boys to get their haircut and she jumped on the chair to got her bangs cut. she sat so still. so claudine, the hairdresser curled her hair with a curling iron. cuteness. sofia loved it. she's been talking beyond what i remember with the boys. i mean you can have a full on ceonversation with her. her favorite words right now are "sofia do it.' and she knows the words to most of the high school musical 2 songs. she picks out her own clothes and shoes and hates to wear anything in her hair. she loves playing with her doll and with legos, of course. we're not planning a birthday party this year. just having the family over after andrew's t-ball game. everyone is welcome if you are around.

-bobby is working hard like always. if you get a chance to catch michael douglas' new movie, please do. it's called KING OF CALIFORNIA and it's playing very limited. but it's a great little movie with a lot of heart. bobby is so proud of it. click here to view the trailer.

we went to a screening of it at our university. bobby set the whole thing up with the director as the guest speaker. i love watching bobby in his element. talking to students about the business. talking to the director about the craft. he really is amazing. last night he took the boys up to kerniville. they are racking the wine today, not sure what that is, but he's there doing it. softball season started again and he's giving it all he's got.


-i'm home today with sofia. we're decorating for halloween, my favorite time. i just wish my house was bigger so that i had more places to put things. i have been designated the room mom for jordan's class. at first i was hesitant of the responsibility, but i know that i can do it. we're working on our halloween booth for the carnival and costumes for a christopher columbus play. still working in the cafe and volunteering in jord and andrew's classes with art projects. but all of my creative energy lately was spent on invitations i made for my nieces quinceanera. designed (really copied), handcut, handmade flowers, ribbons, response cards, and personally addressed 66 cards. really time consuming but they came out so nice. the celebration is November 3. my next task is to get a dress and help make the party favors. in my "free" time, ha ha, i have been working on some scrapbooking projects. cathcing up on layouts for the year, making a recap of sofia's 2nd year and taking classes here and there.

-so now do you see why i haven't posted in a while? busy, busy, busy. which is why i decided to rename this blog five busy bees. it just seems to fit right now.

hope everyone is doing well. please leave a comment and let me know how you are.

exhausted and very proud

we survived our first week of school. everyone is getting adjusted to being in school all day. by friday i was barely hanging on. lots to keep track of, but this coming week will be better.

it's official. we are a sports family. we have resisted and stayed away from competitive sports for 8 years. but that ended today, and now we're in it full force. we knew it would be tough, but we were ready for it. first there was jordan . . .


remember back when? when i couldn't even get him in the pool? when we cried and fought and debated over whether this was the right thing for him? well, it was all worth it. he had his first swim meet this morning. we were up early and in the pool by 8 am. the whole event was crazy. kids everywhere, parents running around, lots of yelling, horns, cheering. he was nervous, so the coach gave him a pep talk. his first event was backstroke. it was confusing figuring out the event number, heat number and lane number. but i got him to the right spot at the right time. and he did awesome. he was ahead for most of the race but as he was approaching the wall he slowed down and veered off course. he came in second for his heat and 9th overall for his age group, that's out of 25 swimmers! he was so happy and proud of himself and having fun. then he swam freestyle. he did great. he came in 11th overall out of 25 swimmers. and finally he was the anchor in the kids freestyle relay for 7-8 year olds. he swam his heart out and they did awesome. i didn't get their standing but he was pretty happy with himself. what an accomplishment, for both of us. to feel so unsure at the beginning, to want to give up but to persist and get to this meet and do pretty well. no ribbons, but that's ok. we were just looking for him to give this a try and do the best that he can. and he did. i am truly jumping up and down for joy!



we went straight from there to the baseball field. andrew is playing t-ball for the first time. he was the one that brought it up, honestly because he wants a trophy (but whatever gets him out there, right?) it's non-competitive fall ball. time for the kids to learn and get the experience of playing on a team. then if they want they can play in the spring. andrew is on the ASH team because of the color of his t-shirt and he plays with his cousin, Michael. he gets really shy when he plays, but he did great. the second inning they put him in as the catcher. they have this tiny catcher's gear, andrew called it his armor. he got to stand behind the plate and put the ball on the t. he told me before that he didn't want to tag people out because that is mean and not a nice thing to do. so when he had to tag a runner out at home plate, he "accidentaly" dropped the ball. everyone laughed. he hit the ball off the t both times at bat. and he got to run around the bases all the way home. there are no outs, they don't keep score, everyone bats and everyone plays every position. there are ten games in the season, so we'll see how it goes. they all look so cute in their uniforms and make the funniest plays, not paying attention as the ball comes right at them, running to 3rd instead of 1st, sometimes not running at all. gotta love baseball.



and i didn't get to post pictures of sofia's "first day of school". it's our mommy and me class on tuesday at the preshool. she had the best time. she loved circle time where we sang songs. she is so independent and loved discovering the classroom and of course, eating snack. we adore the teacher, mrs. casey. we had her for two years with andrew and she is the boys' swim teacher over the summer. i already see differences in what sofia likes to do and what the boys did. she loves the art table and the pretend area where they have dolls and a small kitchen.



feeling really good right now. thankful for getting through this week and this weekend with some sanity, even if it's just a little. but i could really use a nap right now, so good night.

first day

well, we survived. what a day. we got up at 6:40 am, had breakfast, got dressed, took some obligatory pictures and got to school early for the assembly. first we dropped jordan off in his 3rd grade class with no tears or long goodbyes. then we took andrew up to the kindergarten area where there were tears and long goodbyes, and he was upset too. he started saying that he changed his mind and that he didn't want to go to school afterall. to which i said, "great, let's go home." but bobby was there to convince us both that everything would be alright and that he, unfortunately had to start school today. andrew cried and wanted to stay with me. i walked with them to the bathroom. thank god they MAKE them go potty, otherwise i think andrew would hold it until pick-up. then we all walked down to the assembly where he sat with his class. he looks so small even though he is in the right age group. after the assembly, which was actually very fun and exciting for the kids we said our final goodbye. he cried, i cried but then he bravely walked with his friends back to his class.

he did great. we picked him up at 2:30 and he was running around playing with the other kids and getting dirty. he was so talkative and excited about sharing his day with us. and i was so relieved. we waited until 3 to pick up jordan and then we came home to brownies and milk in celebration of the first day of school. lots of things to go through. jordan has a fun project that is due on friday. and andrew had his first spanish class today. there are a lot of new faces in the faculty and we are feeling really positive that this is going to be an exciting year for the boys at CHA. oh and they already gave us the packets for the magazine drive. anyone interested?

so happy to see that the day went well. tomorrow sofia and i start our hand in hand class at the preschool. looking forward to seeing her interact with other kids and make friends. and also to spend some special time with her.

sofia and daddy at breakfast. she will miss him tomorrow when he goes back to work.

last day of summer vacation

it had to come. the last official day of summer vacation for the boys. wow. it's great to be home today after spending three days in Disney world. no, we didn't go to florida. but we felt like we were living in the world of disney for three days. staying at the grand californian hotel made life so easy. we would spend the day at the park and then walk back to the hotel. no driving, no freeways, everyone happy and cheery, except for the girl working at star tours. someone needed to remind her that she worked at the happiest place on earth. we would listen to the bedtime stories on tv at night and then everyone was asleep at 9, even mommy and daddy.



the other awesome thing was that there were no crowds. we never really waited in line. well, except for the nemo ride. but we only waited 45 minutes, not 2 and a half hours like it has been. we got to see everything. even some things we've never done before. jordan went crazy over the innoventions attraction in tomorrowland. he especially liked the show where they demonstrated ASIMO, the robot created by honda. it can walk and run and climb stairs. he had to see that show twice. andrew is a big fan of pirates of the carribean. but he also went on matterhorn and had his first experience on the rapids ride. not quite sure if he liked it but he got wet. sofia had fun too. she loved fantasyland, especially dumbo and the carousel. she also liked bugs land in california adventure. she always said "more" after getting off the rides. i had my fill of thrills after riding space mountain three times in a row. i'm telling you, no lines is the way to go. we had early admittance into the park yesterday and we did 6 rides in one hour. bobby is the champion of buzz lightyear astroblasters after scoring over 300,000 points. thanks jeff for the hint on the triangles.

we went swimming in the hotel pool and sofia went down the kids water slide over and over. bobby and i had dinner at the napa rose restaurant. wine, scallops, halibut, strawberry sorbet, amazing. the hotel was incredible. it was awesome that we were right in california adventure and could walk down to the park at any time. the kids loved the chocolate coins that they would put on the pillows. overall what a great way to end the summer. we'll definetly be doing that again.


we'll be hanging out at home today. jord has swim practice at 3:30 and then we go to back to school night at 5. that's when we'll find out what classroom they will be in. so excited and a little nervous for andrew. is he really going to kindergarten? what will he think? how will he behave? what will they think? i'm sure he will be reserved for the first few weeks. but then i am hoping that his personality will shine and they will fall in love with him. i know that i will miss him. he's been my buddy for the past five years and now i have to entrust the school with him for the majority of the day. it's bittersweet for me. and i know that sofia will miss her buddies too. but i look forward to spending some one on one time with her. it should be fun.

it's been a great summer and i know it will be a fun school year. i'll post pics from the first day of school on monday. love to all.

inspired

for 13 years you have inspired me.
inspired me to . . .
love unconditionally
laugh hysterically
try new things
try again
be silly
learn how to read a map
create happiness
let it go
be honest
be compassionate
stay strong
have faith that everything will be fine
water ski
get it done
be consistent
work hard
fold the whites (not really but i'm thinking about it)
watch indy movies
be accountable
believe in myself
believe in others
love with a passion that can overwhelm

you are the best partner in my life journey and the most incredible father to our three little creations. no one can compare.
i hope that i have inspired you in some way over the past 13 years.
happy anniversary.
*photo by jordan mitas age 8

engagement

ahh, love is in the air. the very, very warm air. i love it when we have a party to celebrate love. sarah and steve were in town from colorado to celebrate their engagement. it was fun hanging out with the cousins and getting to include steve in the craziness. the godlewski's put on the coolest spread. a mashed potato bar. mashed potatoes served in martini glasses and topped with chili, cheese, onions, sour cream, yummy. what a great idea and one that i know i will repeat at our next gathering. we mingled and ate and laughed and played. it was great to see them and even more exciting that this is just the beginning of the celebrations. hooray to love.

good luck sarah on you half marathon tomorrow. wishing you cool weather!!

11 days of this?

today was the first day of 11 that we will have bobby home with us. his fabulous boss gave him the day off today just because, monday is labor day, and then he had planned to take 5 days off to be with the kids and to help take them to school on the first day. so we kicked off his vacation by going to the beach. we do not go often, i really don't know why. the kids love it, i love it. but it was a chore getting everything to our spot; five beach chairs, a rolling ice chest (an awesome thing to have, unless you are dragging it in the sand), a beach bag, five towels, jordan's ginormous harry potter book, three children and of course my camera. i think we were the only family on the beach without an umbrella, have to add that to the pile next time.

it was touch and go at the beginning. ok it was really stressful. bobby had a work call at 11:30 and we got to the beach at 11:28. jordy lost a tooth in the car, bloody. everyone was dragging something til we found the perfect spot, ok the closest spot. bobby's on the phone and carrying chairs, towels and sofia. and i'm dragging the ice chest, dodging frisbee throwers, volleyballers and birds. but once we were settled it was great.

jordan could live in the water. unfortunately we were sitting in front of the only spot in the ocean with a rip current, but he loved just sitting on the shore and getting wet.


sofia wanted to just run into the water. but we held her back. everytime the water hit her she would squeal with delight.


andrew did touch the water, once. but he was content building sand castles and digging.

we saw dolphins and a sea lion. we were all excited about that. and just being near the water was calming and refreshing and about 20 degrees cooler than in the valley.

so all was great. bobby and i talked about coming back again next week, until . . . a seagul ate half of sofia's sandwich. andrew rubbed his eye and got sand in it and cried hysterically because he couldn't open them. i'm pouring water on his face and trying to get him to calm down, but then realized that the tears would help get the sand out. so we were encouraging him to cry, without the yelling and screaming that sounded more like we were hurting him rather than helping him. we pack up and schlepp all the stuff back to the car to get to jordan's swim practice. bobby is carrying all kinds of things and then he goes to pick up sofia and he pulls her arm and she starts crying, hysterically. he rushes her to the car. i'm walking with andrew who has both eyes closed but still carrying our blanket and i'm pulling the ice chest with the beach bag, and carrying a beach chair and jord's enormous book when the ice chest gets hooked on something and falls over . . .twice. i kid you not. oh and did i mention the car keys were buried inside the beach bag so bobby could not get in the car. i imagined what we must have looked like walking across the beach. i wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

andrew finally got the sand out of his eye, sofia's arm is ok and jordan has his tooth under his pillow awaiting the tooth fairy's arrival. and we still want to come back next week, because life is made from memories like these.

baby bret

just got permission to post this photo of bret and bobby. thanks michelle. and it's funny because since sunday sofia has been wanting me to hold her like a baby. i love it!!

visiting

so the summer is winding down and we have spent a lot of time the last few days visiting.

had our friends the fraziers over for dinner on saturday. great to catch up again and have the kids together. we've seen them a few times over the summer which has been great. both fraizer boys spent the night at our house. 4 boys, one toddler and only two adults. the odds were stacked against us. no, we all did fine. it was the first time andrew had a friend sleepover so that was exciting. they were chatting and giggling until 11 pm. the next morning april greeted us with some starbucks, yummy. jordan has been missing owen since he left. i truly think they will be friends for life.

sunday we finally met baby warner. his name is bret and he was only 9 days old. there is nothing like holding a newborn in your arms, the smell, the peacefulness, so sweet. ok don't get any ideas. i didn't get that feeling of wanting another. trust me those feelings are long gone. anyway, we had fun visiting with michelle and derek and keith, their toddler. they are having some major work done to their house. it is going to be awesome. can't wait to see it.

monday the boys visited with grandpa bob who took them to the kidspace museum. sofia and i stayed home. after the museum they went to toys r us for "the end of the summer splurge." legos, of course. gotta love grandparents.

yesterday we tried to stay cool. it really was 108 in the valley, and you felt it the second you walked out the door. so the kids spent the day in the house watching harry potter movies.

saturday we will visit the godlewskis in irvine to "meet the steve." he will be the new addition to the brockett clan when he marries bobby's cousin sara next summer. looking forward to some fun in colorado.

bobby has next week off so we'll be at disneyland for a few days. we're staying at the grand californian. love that hotel. that's our end of the summer splurge. some time together to say goodbye to summer. looking forward to that.

for the next week and a half, i'll be working on getting back into some kind of organizational state. once school starts things will come at me at 100 mph and if i don't have a plan in place i may just lose it. tons of paperwork from all three kids coming home everyday, i'll have to have laundry clean and folded in drawers, i'll have to have stuff for lunches and snacks, materials for projects and special events. i have been doing some research online for schedules, calendars, filing systems, and lots of note cards and post its. i hope i can survive.

hope you all stay cool. see you soon.

it's a new day

here's what's going on:

-there is a lot of dancing going on here. after the concert yesterday i've been blaring, sorry mom, the ipod tunes. i really need to get more michael buble because the kids are getting sick of the same cd over and over. actually andrew's favorite buble song is "Fever" so we play that alot.

-jordan is having a sleepover tonight with his friend owen, who is visiting from sacramento. he is staying at his grandparents house.

-had fish tacos for dinner. bought tilapia, already breaded at costco. yummy.

-daddy and andrew are playing a game.

-sofia is dancing like neil and sabra from "So you think you can dance" our favorite show.

-my friend michelle had her baby on friday. it's a boy!! over 10 lbs. no epidural. baby and mommy are doing fine. can't wait to meet him.

-today is our godson/nephew's birthday. happy birthday danny.

-went to the california science center with the kids yesterday. what a great place, so much for the kids to do and it's FREE.

-excited to watch "top chef" tonight. in case you didn't know, i'm a reality tv junkie.

-grandma sue came to visit today. thank you for giving me some time off to get some errands done. but she went home with our home phone handset in her crochet bag. guess who put it in there? hint: she's has big brown eyes.

i think that's it for now. i'll try and post some pictures soon. maybe after i get the boys haircuts.

till then.

we're still here

i know it's been a while. we've been busy. lots going on and no time to write about it. yes i am blogging at 12:20 AM. just got back from the michael buble concert at the greek theatre. amazing, incredible, fun. love him. love his music. i went with my sister and we just had the best time, well except for the parking. but so glad i went.

maybe i'll have time to blog tomorrow.

Good Monday Morning

we are having a good morning here. jordan is on swim practice vacation until friday, so we were able to just hang out this morning and play. had a good weekend.

saturday we were invited to see the "Go Diego Do" live show at the kodak theatre in hollywood. my good friend juliet had two tickets, so andrew and i had some mom and me time. i wanted to add more adveture to the day by taking him on the subway. it's just one stop from the universal station to hollywood and highland. once i finally figured out the ticket machine we were on our way. four minutes later we were there. easy. the show was alright. lots of singing and dancing and spectacle. and boy were we happy that baby jaguar got his growl back. andrew has never been the kind of kid that talked back to the tv in these interactive shows. and he really does not like to sing in public. so he did his own thing silently. i wanted to get up and mambo but i didn't want to block the little kid behind me. afterwards we had lunch at johnny rockets. then four minutes back to our car and home again.

saturday evening we had a visit from the frazier family, minus daddy rex, who we missed. owen and jordan have been friends since preschool and our families became friends because of that. so it was great to see them and have fun together again. we feasted on sushi and cheeseburgers and ice cream cones. owen brought over the coolest paper airplanes. the kids were amazed and i think pretty disappointed with the airplanes that i have made them in the past. loved spending time with this family. miss them so much. can't wait to see them on their next trip to LA in a few weeks. we've already booked a sleepover.

yesterday morning was beach day. met our friends at this restaurant right on the beach. literally the tables are in the sand. great for families because the kids can play in the sand while the parents chat. the conroys and the warners were there. my friend michelle was able to make it even though she is going to give birth to her second baby any minute. she looked beautiful with her round belly but ready to get going on the birth. hopefully i will be able to share some pictures of the new little one soon. and the best thing is that they don't know if it's a boy or a girl. they already have a little boy named keith. wishing her a safe and pain free delivery.

then at the last minute we decided to go to duarte to be with my family for the afternoon. my aunt was visiting from ensenada and we wanted to see her. had a very hot afternoon at my other aunt's house while the kids enjoyed the pool. sofia was jumping in yelling "cannonball". she was even trying to swim on her own. all i could do was hold my breath each time she went under water and moved her legs. every single time she came up with a big smile on her face and said "more".

so it was nice to have this morning to take it easy.

hope you had a good weekend.

One Dollar

That was the prize money this morning from the tooth fairy. Of course before putting it under his pillow, he wanted to know if the tooth fairy was a girl and is there more than one. Yes to both, but I had never really thought about it. Not sure how he feels about the dollar. And quite frankly not sure what he did with it. He just came into the room this morning and said, instead of a tooth, I got a dollar. Then he says, "is two alot." Was he asking for more? To be honest if it wasn't for the earthquake at 1 AM that made us jump out of bed, I'm not sure the tooth fairy would have remebered to put anything under his pillow. At that time of night, the choices were $1, $10,or $20. She decided not to set his expectations so high on the first one.

Then this afternoon while having lunch Andrew and I have this conversation:

Andrew: Mama, were you a kid in the 70's? (yes, this is Andrew asking me this question)
Mama: Yeah, why?
A: Were you black or white?
M: What?
A: Were you black or white?
M: Andrew I have always been this color.
A: You mean brown?
M: Yeah I guess. Why?
A: Because you told me and Jordan that in the 70's black people and white people could not be together.
M: Hmm, that was in the 60's. And people don't change their skin color.
A: So you'll always be brown and I'll always be tan?
M: yes.
A: Good than we can always be together?
M: Always.

And he moves on in life. Thinking and wondering about the most amazing things.
(I did have that conversation with them but it was prompted by something we saw on tv. They also know what a mortgage is, how escrow works and way too much information on why you have to pay for things.)

Is there something different about me?

Andrew asked me that as he walked out of his room holding his tooth. It's been wiggly for a while now, so today while eating an apple it finally fell out. The tooth is the tiniest thing. Wonder what he'll get for it? Tune in tomorrow.

Family Time

Made it back from our trip to Kernville safe and sound. Left on Wednesday with Sue and the kids to Wofford Heights to spend some time at the Dake's house. We brought books and toys and just wanted to enjoy some quite time with family. Andrew and Sofia took a while to warm up to the dogs but by the time we left, literally, Sofia was petting them and calling them by name.

She also made another friend.



The kids had so much fun running around the property, climbing rocks and playing. Sofia would walk to the front door and say "bunny rabbitts". We did spot a few one morning hanging out in their yard.

Jordan, and I, became addicted to the Sudoku game that Becky brought. I've never played the real version but this was fun. Different colored animals and 36 spaces. Bring it on!! Frustrating? Sometimes. More challenging, made my brain work hard. The kids got to help grandma make Christmas decorations out of her collection of beads. Nothing like a grandma and an aunt to keep the kids entertained while Sofia and I took a 2 and a half hour nap. Thank you.

Jordan spent a lot of time reading. He finished reading the 2nd Harry Potter book on Thursday, but had to wait for Bobby to bring him #3. He had the most interesting poses while reading. Some even looked like yoga poses.

Andrew really enjoyed Cranium Conga. We love all the Cranium games. He has an interesting imagination and stumped us many times with his unique answers. We also had a chance to see HAIRSPRAY at the local movie theatre. Great, fun movie!

Of course there had to be an injury. At bedtime while Sofia was belting out her rendition of the A-B-C's, she came crashing down on Andrew's head. He ended up with a swollen, black eye. Ouch.

Here's a pic of Sofia making us laugh while she ate spaghetti.


We were so happy to see Bobby on Friday. We don't usually spend a lot of time away from each other so this was odd for us. Spent the rest of the weekend at his dad's place and got home Sunday night Now it's back to business. A little over a month before school starts and we have some things to get done. Backpacks, lunchboxes and folders. Plus check my inventory of polo shirts and pants for Andrew.

We are around the next few weekends with outings here and there. I am looking forward to the Michael Buble concert in a few weeks. We have a couple birthday parties and breakfast at the beach with our frineds. And yes, we are squeezing in one more road trip. Taking the kids to Disneyland the week of labor day. Hoping to stay at the Grand Californian for a few days to celebrate the last days of summer, as a family.