January California style

Yes, I know the pictures of the kids playing in the leaves really should hit your computer screens during an actual Fall season. Prior to Harvest time perhaps. But this is California...and NOTHING is normal in California. So happy New Year! The leaves have finally begun to fall, the temperature has dipped to a frigid 60 degrees and the boys spent the day with a rake and pile of leaves. So Happy Fall Weathered New Year to you! May the blessings of God who loves you overflow in 2009.

The pictures say it all

LOOK


WHO


FOUND


HIS


JOY


AGAIN!!!


Can you feel me smiling and praising God as I type this? I will say we have about 85%of our old Justin back. Praise God! The semester of homeschooling in the peace, calm and quiet of our house has done him wonders and I think it was exactly what he needed. So, we are holding our collective breath and sending him back to school on Monday. My first instinct was to keep him with me the full year. First and foremost because surprisingly(and selfishly) I LOVED having him. I have never had just ONE kid home with me all day since Jordan was born almost 11 years ago....one kid rocks! Justin and I had a blast together these last few months and I was able to share in so many special moments with him and above all, just have the quiet around here to hear his heart and to listen to him without interruption. It was nothing short of amazing. I will never, ever forget this time with him. It is definitely HIS desire to go back. He is ready for the socialization once again and can't wait for P.E. class. Of all that I was able to teach him this year PE was not at the top of my list and he really misses that. Ahh, the little things to us. The big, big things to them.

Though as a side note, let me just tell you. He excelled at the home economics side of things. This boy can make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich! :) This will serve him well come college and Beans, if you are reading this 15 years from now..your welcome buddy....if you run out of peanut butter give me a call and I will FedEx you some.



So it is with both a sad and happy heart that I ask you to cover him in prayer as we try this again. It has been a rough road but we can definitely now see the light....it's a beautiful light.

Are you married?

If you are married grab a chair, grab your husband, grab a cup of coffee and take an hour and watch this. VERY interesting, you won't regret it!

Ode to the Yule Log

I love the yule log on TV every year. It is the best...well, it's the best to those of us who have lived in government housing for a decade and never had the real thing in our home. I watched a segment on the news last week regarding the beloved log and did you know it's been around since 1964? How cool is that? And when you raise your children in the aforementioned government housing for their entire life they kinda get into the yule log on TV as well. It's all in the perception is it not? Ahhh, can you feel the warmth?

Every year....

Every year we say we are not going to do it. We are not going to go overboard. Nope, nada, not happenin. Every year we go overboard. Yep, yeppers, definitely happenin. I can't figure out if we truly qualify as overboard or if their are four of them so it gives the illusion of overboardingness. Hmmmm....definitely not going overboard next year, nope, nada, not happenin.

My new CAMERA!!!!!!

Who has the best dad and Mewissa? I do! It is more addicting than Facebook! I love it! I can't put it down so I keep taking random pictures trying to figure out what all it can do. Does anyone else have the Nikkon D40? Tips?! I love it, love it, luuuuvvvv it!

A P an S and the number 3

A Christmas Tree: $65
Christmas dinner $85
Christmas cards: $25

The look on your boys' face when you give them a Playstation 3 for Christmas:
PRICELESS.

A boy, his dad a dog and an ipod.

I think my days of having complete conversations with my children, my dog and my husband without that headphone cord hanging out of one ear are over....sigh....

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family! We are surronded by wrapping paper and electronic gadgets as we have finally entered the tween years...and light sabers and laser tag as the twins have discovered a love of all things Star Wars. So if you don't hear from us soon we will be engaged in the battle of galactica and downloading apps and music to all of the new gadgets. We love you all so from us to you, Merry Christmas!

Bad hair

I thought I had decent hair. It is very easy to take care of, I spend about 35 seconds a day on it. Roll it into hot rollers, make the bed while they do their thang, unroll, shake and I'm out. I guess I had always envisioned my hair looking like this:

or even:

(By the way, I hate it when companies photoshop someone else's head onto MY body, so annoying.)

But apparently one of my children felt otherwise and thought my hair actually looked more like this:



Because look at what I discovered this morning when I went to put said hair into said rollers:



Are you kidding me? He cut my cord! Who the? What the? I don't have a confession out of any of them yet....but I will. I have my theory as to which one it is...I think it's this one:

He used to be cute...before he learned how to operate scissors.

Cut and paste is his favorite activity in 1st grade. I'm gonna go ahead and guess he likes the cut more than the paste. Anyone want a 6 year old with good arts and crafts skills?

Bella v Stratego

Being a military family we do our best to involve/indoctrinate the entire family in matters of military affairs. Even the dog. She's good. Do not underestmiate the power of her canine war ways. We are going to have this yucky Iraq/Afghanistan thing figured out before the week's end.

My son, the gentleman.

I found this minimized on the computer when I got home tonight, followed by a shout out from my oldest who was already in bed. "Mom!" he says, "did you look at what I minimized yet?" "Looking right now, hold on" I say. "Neat!" I say, what do you want the back to say?

"Chick Magnet 1" is his reply.

Yep, in case the tampons in the backpack didn't confirm my stellar abilities at good parenting the apparent lack of teaching him to address ladies as....well, as ladies instead of chicks certainly should put me high up on the parenting pedastal. So to whatever future chick this boy marries, let me just say I am sorry now. I tried, I really, really tried.

Girls only...no boys allowed

I did it. I actually did it. However unintentional I committed what can only be described as an attempted 5th grade social suicide. I think I am still in shock. I do tend to pride myself on being a pretty cool mom. I do not, for example, roll down the window while dropping them at school and ask them such things like, "Did you put on clean undies today Punkie; because you don't want to get a rash again!" or "Don't worry honey, that zit is looking WAY better today." Nor do I bring out their naked baby pictures while they are having a sleepover with friends or other such horrific acts of motherhood. And then today.....IT happened.

About two weeks ago Jordan's backpack got a hole in the bottom and I being the cheapskate....I mean, cost concious mother that I am got out his dad's old backpack. It's hip, it's cool, it's a backpack. Nuff said. Today I was searching in each of the pockets while he was outside playing basketball, looking for any sign of another demerit because I hadn't been presented one today; and I just knew he was hiding one somewhere....and certainly, if he was hiding it...it must be really, really bad. Well, yee mother of little faith. No demerit issued today, Yippee. So as I am coming up empty with all of the other 45 pockets on the backpack I open the tiny little one in front....the last pocket.....and then IT happened.

Yep, it IS what you think it is. Do not adjust your monitor, do not adjust your bi-focal lenses, do not pass go and collect $200....it was almost 5th grade social suicide. I am mortified. Scratch that. I am BEYOND mortified. Whatever word is after mortified is what I am. I had taken this backpack to Disney at ATA a few months ago and I distinctly remember removing loads and loads of things in that backpack. Old water bottles, empty fruit cups, juice boxes, and even a box of matches that somehow ended up in there. Even then I remember thinking as I hurridly emptied it as we headed out the door for school that day, whew! Glad I found those matches, he would have gotten in big trouble for having those in his backpack....hmmm, remove the matches...leave the tampons....I am going to screw these kids up sooner or later.

And just in case that wasn't enough, the remaining contents in that tiny little pocket: a nasty tissue from Jack's cold at Disney, a plug for the hotel room, and two airplane pins. Yep, mother of the year right here ladies and gents. MOTHER OF THE YEAR.