Egg Hunt

Today was the last day of school before Spring Break so both of the boys had their Easter egg hunt at school today. They were both very excited about the prospect of searching for hidden eggs filled with goodies. I also loved Easter as a kid. My sister and I would hide our eggs over and over again until they were all cracked (we always used hard boiled eggs). I also remember finding some eggs that never got found a week or two later that didn't smell very good.

We have already had a couple of egg hunts at our house and I have a feeling we will have plenty more before Easter is over.

Read to Me

I think one of the things I will miss the most when the boys have grown up, besides the hugs, kisses and snuggling, is reading books to them. I love reading to the boys and they love being read to. They are drawn to books like bees to flowers.

Now that Daniel is learning to read I have found him reading books to himself and even reading to Sammy. Even Sammy feels the excitement of this milestone for Daniel as Sammy will run to find me exclaiming excitedly, 'Daniel read a book to me!" As excited as I am for Daniel I am also a little sad knowing that all to soon my reading days will be over. But I am and have taken advantage of the time I do have. I have probably read hundreds of books for hundreds of hours to the boys.

Transitions are never easy, at least for me. I know it will be sad when reading to the boys becomes only a distant memory, but hopefully then I will be reading with the boys. And that might be just as special and enjoyable.

Lego Creation

The name is 'AT Command Base Walker' because it has a detachable ship for tough fighting. It has two drillers in the back. It can drill, blast and move very fast.

Daniel, age 6. Still loving Legos.

Morning Fun

I got a bit of a surprise when I went in to brush the boy's teeth and get them dressed for school this morning. Typically they are in their room saving the world from bad guys or are having an epic Lego battle. This morning, something different. Something strange. What? What is going on in there? These were my thoughts as I approached the door that begins my day. Daniel and Sammy were playing... football. They had a football (some of Sammy's underwear, clean, I hope), they were throwing it around. And sometimes even catching it. I heard Daniel utter these words,

'Okay, Sammy, let's huddle up and figure out how to beat these guys.'

The teams were Baby Bippie (don't ask) versus the Giants, and Daniel and Sammy were on the Baby Bippie side (really, don't ask!). I am pretty sure that those rough and tumble Baby Bippies were winning.

So, to summarize, now that football season is over for months, my boys are expressing an interest. Just when I would love for one of them to want to watch a baseball game with me, they are into football.

Overflowing

Every morning in Daniel's kindergarten class his teacher takes roll call. It goes something like this:

"Good morning, (insert student's name)."
"Good morning, Ms. Foust."
"How are you doing this morning?"
"I am doing..." or "I am feeling..." and then the kids say something like sleepy, excited or whatever they want.

Well, yesterday Daniel replied, "I am feeling very happy!"
"Why are you feeling so happy today?" asked his teacher.
"Because today is overflowing with good things!"

And Daniel's day was indeed filled to the top and spilling over with good things.

Fridays are Daniel's favorite day, and not just because it means the weekend is here. Fridays are very fun days at school. They have chapel, go to the Park and get to go to the treasure box (a reward system for good behavior). Yesterday was even more special because Daniel received an award in chapel for being loving. Each week the kids study a certain character trait and memorize a Bible verse that relates to that character trait. Then in chapel a child in each class who demonstrates that character trait gets an award. It is suppose to be a surprise, but the kids have figured out that if someone's parent is at chapel it probably means they are getting the award.

I was not surprised at all to learn that Daniel was getting the award for being loving. He is a very loving and affectionate child and often tells his teacher he loves her. Daniel was simply glowing as he walked up to receive his button (award). In addition to this he also got to be a flag bearer during the salute and his class preformed the chapel song (they were so, so cute).

It was a good day... simply overflowing with good things.

Falling Behind

I know, I know, I KNOW. I haven't blogged in a really long time. Really it's not my fault... it's my sister's fault. Chrissie has been encouraging me to start up an arts and crafts blog. I love reading what other people out there in blogland are creating, but I never really though about blogging the going ons of my studio. Well, I finally got it together last month. It is called Handwork Happens. It has been really fun showing off and documenting all my projects, but it has been taking up all my precious blogging time. I have to figure out some way to allocate blogging time between the two. If only I could figure out a way to add a couple more hours onto the day or get the boys to go to sleep at 6:00. I'm thinking... I'm thinking...

Jinxed It

Well, Daniel had a good day yesterday, but crashed around 4Pm, and had a rough night last night. Suzy took to the doctor today, double ear infections, both pretty severe. I guess that might be why he is such a whiner when he is sick, his ears are killing him. Sorry buddy. I should have more faith in your 'toughness'. The good thing about ear infections are they clear up pretty quick with medicine, so the doctor said he should be better by Friday. That means we can go to dinner next week at the Studio Diner to celebrate. Anyone want to join us?

A Little Sun

The weather here in San Diego has been a drag over the last few days. Rainy. Cold. Yuck. I know that things are relative, and where ever you are probably was more cold and/or more rainy, but I pay California taxes for a reason, I want my nice weather. I am a soft, weak person and I can't handle things when the mercury dips below 60.

My response to the cold and rain is exacerbated by the antics of my older child. Daniel is sick. Nothing serious, just a touch of the flu, so he is congested, feverish, achy, you all know the symptoms. Daniel is a terrible sick person. I say that without exaggeration, he is terrible. Ninety-nine percent of the time Daniel is a great kid. Kind hearted, a peace maker, smart, fun loving. When he is sick, yikes, whiny, crying, complaining. Wow. It is put into full focus by how his brother is when he is sick, Sammy roles right through it. Flu?, no problem. Fever?, not too bad. Runny nose?, just find a handy shirt to wipe it on.

Over the weekend I was home alone with Daniel and he was refusing to blow his nose. I don't know why, but he won't blow his nose. He was crying and yelling at me that his nose wouldn't work anymore, it was broken. I told him that it was just plugged and he needed to blow it all out. The response, just more crying and moaning. We haven't had a good nights sleep in three or four days (I have lost track) because Daniel wakes up screaming and crying.

'Help me! Help me! I need to go to the bathroom!'

'Uh, Daniel, why are you yelling, just get out of bed and go.'

'But, I don't want to wake up Sammy!'

At this point I look at Sammy, who is wide awake, of course, because of all the screaming. 'Let's go Daniel.'

This morning it finally happened. Just as the clouds have finally cleared up over San Diego's skies, Daniel finally reached a turning point in his battle with the Black Plague. He got the 'spit-ups', which is what he calls vomit. After helping him through his involuntary examination of his stomach contents, he started feeling better. I am at work right now, but I am hoping, and praying, that when I go home for lunch I will see my normal pleasant little Daniel running around with Sammy protecting their mama from the evil clutches of all the bad guys in the world.

Thankfully it appears that the weather has turned. Too bad it was too late for Suzy and Sammy's trip to Sea World yesterday, but I will leave that story for her...

Kindergarten Lessons

Daniel is learning an amazing amount of stuff in kindergarten this year. His reading skills are particularly growing at an exponential rate. He is not the only one learning stuff though. Suzy and I are getting many lessons as well. Recently we had to take the boys in for their yearly checkups and needed to figure out how to do that. When do you go? No appointments on Saturday. Daniel has school until 3:15 five days a week. Not wanting to take him out of school (hey, we are paying lots of money for him to go there!) we decided on the late afternoon time slot. This is a big departure for us, typically we try to get the first appointment of the day, to ensure that the doctor hasn't fallen too far behind. Now we were on the other end of the spectrum.

So Suzy gets the boys from school, then they all swing by and pick me up from work (we like to double team them at doctors/dentist appointments) and off we head to downtown La Jolla. We arrive a bit after 4 for our 4:15 appointment (Suzy and I are both like to be early for things) and settle in for the wait. And settle in some more. And settle some more. And settle... you get the picture. Thankfully we had the video Ipod playing Scooby Doo for the boys because boy did we wait. I think that we finally got called out of the waiting room just before 5. Yikes.

Unfortunately that wasn't the end of the waiting. Back to the exam room we settle in. And settle in. This time we mixed it up and played a raucous game of 'I Spy' with the boys. Sammy won, but only because he kept changing colors.

'I Spy something... red!'
'Blue!' - wait wasn't it just red?
'Red'! - rascal!

The exam room wait was also broken up by Daniel's eye and ear exam (both fine, thank goodness) and Sammy's eye exam (he did fine except instead of letters they showed him symbols and he had no idea what the '+' symbol was, also, Daniel was dying to help him, I almost had to physically restrain him from giving hints).

Finally the doctor comes in, and except for the fact that he is a Patriots fan he was great. Easy going, good with the boys, good with us. Both boys are doing great health wise. What a relief, you know that they are fine but getting the expert opinion is always a plus.

So, you parents of small children know what's next. The doctor checks his shot record notes and decides the boys should get a flu shot and Daniel got one more. The boys were prepped. They both were almost looking forward to the shots, and we haven't had problems with them about shots for years. Until the nurse came in and said, 'Okay, I am going to prick your finger to check your iron.' Daniel got this look on his face like, 'No way in heck I am going to let you do that.' He had no idea what she meant by prick, but he was convinced it meant take a big sword and chop that finger right off. The panic set in, and we weren't prepared. You are okay for the shot, but the finger prick is setting you off? The scream that resulted from the finger prick led directly to a massive squirm fest trying to avoid the shots, which made the shots much more painful 'cause he was moving all around. Of course Sammy is sitting in my lap watching all of this. When Daniel finally finished his near death experience and stumbled wearily across the room to a chair Sammy looked at the nurse and said, 'You're not doing that to me!'. So I had to carry Sammy to the torture expert (nurse, who was actually quite good), and restrain his arm so he wouldn't move it around. She pricked, she poked and it was over before he got too far down the path of hysteria. Of course both boys wore the badges of their battle (band-aids) with honor for the next twelve hours. Sammy didn't want to take a bath that night because the water would touch the gaping open wound in his finger from the prick. Of course when the band-aids finally came off there were no marks.

So, what lessons did we as parent learn? Last appointments of the day stink. Don't let one kid watch the other get shots. Don't forget the finger prick when you are prepping the kids for what will happen at the doctor's office. Video Ipods are worth their wait in gold. McDonalds for dinner after traumatic experiences works pretty well. They really are Happy Meals.

Two Down

Daniel now has a rather large gap in his mouth because tonight while Dan was brushing Daniel's teeth, tooth number 2 popped out. For the past week Daniel has been wiggling that thing like crazy and yesterday it was just hanging on by a thread.

Last time making the tooth for money exchange went without a hitch, but I have to say I am a little worried this time. My Dad finished the bunk beds and brought them down on Christmas and Daniel occupies the top bunk. While tucking the boys in tonight, I put Daniel's tooth holder close to the edge of the bed where I can reach it pretty easily, but if he moves it I'm not sure what I will do. I will probably have to climb up there and search around for the little tooth pillow I made. If I happen to wake one or both of the boys up I am not sure how I will explain to them why I climbed up to the top bunk. I am really hoping the tooth is where I left it.

I voiced my concern that the tooth fairy might have a hard time trying to find the tooth up on the top bunk, but both the boys seemed confident that since the tooth fairy flies she will have no problem making the exchange. I guess they have more faith in the tooth fairy than I do. Wish me luck!

Birthday Letter

Every year my Mom writes the sweetest birthday card for they boys. They always make me bawl like a baby as a remember all the things the boys have done and how they have grown and changed over the year. So here is this year's...

Dear Daniel,

Look at you now... going to Kindergarten everyday, learning to read and write, riding a big Schwinn bike, going snorkeling in search of humuhumunukunukus and sea turtles, chasing crabs with Papa, drawing pictures for stories you write about secret passages under bedroom floors, wanting to play drums and play in the snow, building Lego sets designed for 7-14 year olds, playing computer games, helping to read books like 'Burger Boy' and 'Three Little Ghosties (sitting on posties, eating burnt toasties), climbing tide pool rocks, memorizing lots of Bible verses, and coming to visit Tutu and Papa without Mama and Dada!

What hasn't changed is that you are still full of LOTS of love and snuggles. So here's to Daniel on January 15, 2008 - - HAPPY, happy Birthday to YOU!!

Are you crying too?

Poor Daniel

Daniel has caught a nasty stomach bug that is raging through the classes of City Tree. He has thrown up 6 times in the past two hours. Poor thing. After the last bout of retching Daniel said he thought it would be fun staying home from school today, but decided he would much rather go to school than feel like he is now.

At least I was not surprised at all. I was pretty resigned to the boys getting this bug. Yesterday while dropping Daniel off at class one of his classmates spilled her breakfast in the hall. Unbelievably her mother cleaned her up and then dropped her off in class. Daniel's teacher asked the principal if that was okay and the principal said that was definitely NOT okay and they sent her home. So when Daniel woke up this morning saying his stomach was not feeling well I was not shocked at all. I'm just glad Daniel didn't get sick at school.

I have been washing my hands like crazy, but this thing seems to be highly contagious. I fully expect Sammy to get it next. And then probably me or Dan or both. Oh well, what can you do? Poor Daniel. Poor, poor Daniel.

Six Year Old

Yesterday we celebrated Daniel's 6th birthday. Has it really been another year already? Can Daniel really be 6? I mean I have memories from when I was six years old. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was 6. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. And this past year has been fun. Daniel his grown and changed so much. He has become much more independent and mature. He is getting his adult teeth and starting to read. Although he has changed a lot during his 5th year of life Daniel is still very much the same. He still loves to play with Legos and sleeps with his Blipie and Spot. He loves reading and is a sweet, snugly boy. And thankfully he still lets me hug and kiss him.

We took Daniel to Legoland on Saturday for his birthday. Tutu and Papa met us there. We had so much fun, the weather was great and it wasn't crowded. Since Daniel had school yesterday we celebrated by going to Studio Diner, Daniel's favorite restaurant. Daniel was spoiled with lots of Lego presents. He is definitely in Lego heaven right now. I have to say that I am glad the flow of new toys is finally at an end, what with Sammy's birthday, Christmas and then Daniel's birthday. I think I will have to do some 'cleaning' and donate some of the plethora of older toys we have.

So now I have a 4 year old and a 6 year old. The best boys in the world. I am blessed.

Year End Review

2007 has been an exciting year for the Walls family. I think I will title it "2007: The Year of Change". I guess every year is filled with change especially when you have young children, but this year brought about many changes and much adjustment.

2007 started with Daniel turning 5 and a fun filled day at Legoland with Tutu, Papa and Nana. Also in January Sammy graduated from his crib to a big boy bed. Sammy took a big step when he joined Daniel in Teacher Laurie's preschool class at the beginning of February. The spring was filled with fun trips to Disneyland, the East Coast to see lots of relatives, a four day backpacking trip in the San Jacinto Mountains for me and a family retreat with our church in our local mountains. In June Daniel graduated from preschool. A week later the boys and I were in Oregon visiting my sister and her family. We moved Daniel into Sammy's room and reclaimed the studio/computer room. We spent the summer swimming at the pool, Daniel in summer camps at City Tree and both boys attending VBS at church (I got to have a full week with no boys for the mornings, Yippee!). We ended our summer with an amazing trip to Hawaii where we stayed at a beach house on Oahu. The boys got to meet their great grandparents and a plethora of other Hawaiian relatives. At the end of August I celebrated my 33rd birthday (am I really that old?) and Dan and I celebrated 10 years of marriage (has it really been that long?) In September Daniel started full time Kindergarten and Sammy started preschool at City Tree. Since I found myself with so much free time on my hands (yeah right!) I started working a little bit for my old company. Dan and my Dad trained for a bike tour from Rosarito Beach to Ensenada that they both completed in 3 hours and 5 minutes, not too bad. October saw tragedy in San Diego as fires raged throughout the county, but was also a time of celebration as Sammy turned 4 years old. We got to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her girls. Daniel lost his first tooth. Just a few days ago the boys took their first trip to L.A. with my parents all by themselves. Dan and I got to spend three days in the house all alone (simply wonderful).

We will ring in the New Year with root beer floats and mint chip shakes, yum. We sure did fill the year with fun memories and can't wait to see what this next year holds in store for the Walls family. Stay safe and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

The stockings have been opened and the boys are dancing around anxiously in front of the Christmas tree. Santa has indeed come! Merry Chirstmas everyone. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Baby it's Cold Outside...

It was in the thirties when I woke up this morning and let me tell you it was C-O-L-D! It could have snowed if there was rain...well probably not, but it was cold. I mean this is San Diego, the finest city, the city of sand and sun and temperatures in the thirties just will not do. The rain and chilly weather are making it feel like Christmas is looming near and I guess it is just around the corner. Our house is looking quite festive. We have decked the halls and trimmed the tree. The stockings are hung by the chimney and the lights outside are aglow. Yes, there is definitely Christmas in the air although we are more coughy, sniffly and hard of hearing than merry and bright.

This year we splurged and bought a noble fire instead of the cheaper douglas fir for our Christmas tree and boy am I glad. The extra ten bucks is worth all the time saved vacuuming up dropped needles. I know I say this every year, BUT... I think this is the best Christmas tree yet. The boys loved decorating the house and tree, although they were a little anxious to get everything out and start in on the fun before the adults were quite ready.

So it is beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas, although I wouldn't mind if it felt a little less like Christmas, maybe by 20 or 25 degrees. Jack frost has been nipping at my nose too often these mornings.

One Down...

Daniel was so excited this morning as he told me the news that the tooth fairy had come during the night, took his tooth and left a dollar in its place. Last night I whipped up a little tooth fairy pillow to house the lost tooth. I did not want to risk Daniel or Sammy waking up as the tooth fairy searched around desperately for that little tooth.

It turns out that Daniel was not the only one to lose his first tooth yesterday. Two of his classmates also lost their first tooth, all within an hour of each other. Daniel's teacher told me that Daniel actually pulled his out during library time and boy was he excited. Sammy seemed just as thrilled and ran around telling all his friends at school. Sammy was going to try and stay up so he could catch a glimpse of the tooth fairy, but was fast asleep when she made her appearance.

I was a little nervous as I snuck into their room last night to make the exchange. Sammy is such a light sleeper. But I got in and got out, no problem. Daniel's other bottom front tooth is loose so it will probably not be too long till the tooth fairy makes a return visit. One down, many more to go.

A Late Night Visitor

We had a visitor tonight. Inflation has reared its ugly head once again, because when this visitor used to come to my house all I got was a 'Bright Shiny Penny!' (Make sure you use fake enthusiasm when you say 'Bright Shiny Penny!'). Daniel made out with a whole dollar! Kids today, they just don't know how good they have it!

As you can imagine, Suzy is beside herself with Mommy level five excitment. Daniel is pretty excited too. We caught him gazing into the bathroom mirror tonight. This is his quote,

"I look old, maybe... 13!"

The teenage years have begun. Wish us luck.

Advent Breakfast

The Christmas season has officially begun! December 1st already, and I can hardly believe it. Today definitely had a wintery, Christmasy feeling to it. A storm blew in yesterday bringing us much needed rain and it is cold and blustery outside. Every year our church starts off the advent season with an advent breakfast for the kids. Food, singing, crafts and fellowship was enjoyed by all.

December is probably my favorite time of year (although I could do without the endless coughing, sneezing and runny noses). I love all the sounds, sights and smells of the Christmas season. I love how people open their hearts at this time and are just so giving. I love the Christmas story and celebrating the birth of Christ. It really is all so awesome!

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl

Claire Ariella

Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007

1:44 PM

8 lb 9 oz.20.5"

I am so excited! Dan's longtime friend and coworker and his wife welcomed their first child into the world today. A baby girl! I haven't seen any pictures yet, but I am sure she is as sweet as pie. It seems as if we have been waiting for the arrival of this baby for a long time. It is a very big deal at Dan's work because of the six families in the company there are 9 boy offspring and no girls. Until today at 1:44 p.m. that is. I think Claire with be doted on very much.

I made these adorable little shoes for Claire. Are they not the cutest things ever! They were so easy to put together and such fun to embellish. I can't wait to see that sweet, sweet baby. Do you think her parents will let me keep her for a little bit. Just a day or week or two or three...?

Congratutions, John and Galit!

Wibbly, Wobbly Tooth

Daniel has his very first loose tooth, and according to the dentist, who we saw last week, that tooth is not long for the world.

Maybe a month of so ago, while brushing Daniel's teeth, I noticed that his left front tooth was a tiny bit wiggly. Now it is loose enough that I feel a little bit queasy when I see his tooth wiggle around. Last week Daniel told me that while playing with his loose tooth he head a little crack. I didn't let on that I was a little grossed out by that bit of info. Yep, I don't think it will be too long before the tooth fairy makes a visit to our house.

This is such a big milestone. If not for Daniel, for me. It seems strange that I have a kid old enough to be loosing his baby teeth. For the past six years, so much has revolved around teeth coming in, not falling out. Daniel was an extremely early teether. He got his first tooth at only three months old, and had all his teeth, minus molars, by nine months.

Daniel was not an easy teether. Each and every tooth caused both Daniel and us much pain. I am still not sure who suffered more. When Daniel's molars came in, he whined for a month straight and would wake up in the middle of the night crying and nothing we did could soothe him. Sammy was a much better teether, but nevertheless I was ecstatic when his last second molar made its appearance.

So far this loose tooth doesn't seem to bother Daniel, but only time will tell. I know it can't be too comfortable having a wobbly tooth while trying to eat, so we will have to see how Daniel copes.

I just can't believe we are already at this stage. I can't imagine Daniel with a missing tooth. I can remember having loose and missing teeth. Really, Daniel can't be that old. Can he?

Super Chargers

This is by no means a sports blog, and I have no intention of changing that, but I think that sports can offer life lessons if you are paying attention.

As you can probably determine by the title of this blog entry I am a fan of a football team called the San Diego Chargers. Last year this team had a great season, won fourteen games and only lost three. They even had the MVP playing for them, LaDainian Tomlinson, who set numerous NFL records during an amazing season. Unfortunately they are not playing as well this year. Currently they have won four and lost four, and yesterday's game was a debacle. What has changed and how can I use this in my life? What are the life lessons?

Well, one thing that has not changed is the players. They are almost exactly the same, just a year older. If they were an old team then you could then have an 'ah ha' moment, and say the team got old. That theory won't hold water too well due to the fact that they are not an old team, by NFL standards they would actually be considered a young team. So we will have to look elsewhere. Coaching.

The Chargers had their top offensive and defensive coaches leave to take jobs elsewhere, they then fired their head coach. Their top three coaches from last year were all allowed, or encouraged, to leave. Why did they fire their head coach you ask? Good question, the head coach and the General Manager (usually the head coach's boss, also the guy who obtains the players through one method or another) did not get along. At all. One of the excuses for the firing was the lack of success in the playoffs. You see, one of the three losses last year was in their first game of the playoffs against New England. It was an ugly game, lots of poor plays by the players, but the Chargers still had a great shot to win it. But they didn't.

Still haven't gotten to any of the life lessons! Get to the point! Hey, you get what you pay for with this blog. If I want to write a dissertation you will just have to suffer through it. Either that or stop reading.

Life Lesson #1: Leadership Counts
Same players, worse performance, leadership seems to matter. As I was coming into work this morning I was thinking that the same thing applies to my boys. My boys are who they are, my job as a parent is to give them their best chance to succeed. Daniel and Sammy are very different from each other, they both have their strengths and weaknesses, but different strengths and weaknesses. Suzy and I have a job that requires we help the boys figure those strengths and weaknesses out, and how to emphasize the strengths, and be able to handle the weaknesses. If we do a good job with that then the boys will have a better chance at growing up to be productive members of society. If we do a bad job, then they will have more hurdles to overcome. Leadership matters. It can help, or it can hold back.

Life Lesson #2: Don't Overreact
The Chargers partly fired their coach because they weren't winning in the playoffs. They had an amazingly successful year, but lost at the end and that was too bitter of a pill for the management to swallow. Now they are paying for it. My boys really are good kids. Ninety plus percent of the time they behave just how I would want them to. One of my flaws as a parent is that I overreact to the less than ten percent of the time when exceptions occur. I need to be better about appreciating and enjoying the ninety plus percent of the time. Things aren't always going to go perfectly, as a parent I should be able to handle the 'blips' and move on. Don't overreact, don't hold a grudge. The Bible says don't let the sun go down on your anger.

Life Lesson #3: Stay Calm
It seems to me that disasters happen not as a result of one thing going wrong, but a series of things going wrong, one leading to the next until you are standing in a Tijuana jail thinking you had one too many shots of tequila. The Chargers lost their playoff game, they then lost their offensive and defensive coordinators, and then they lost their head coach. If they had stayed calm and dealt with the situations is a dispassionate manner they may have had more success in navigating that difficult time. Instead they acted in the heat of the moment, and now are paying the price. One of the areas that I struggle most with as a parent is staying calm. Nipping problems in the bud, so that they don't become full disasters. Staying calm in the moment. Easier said than done.


So, if you are still reading that means a couple of things, you weren't turned off by the sports analogies, you survived my preachy blogging, or you are my wife. Congratulations on any of those three things. I hope that people out there who don't enjoy sports now better understand that sports can offer things beyond the superficial. At least for me they can lead to reflection, and hopefully some improvements in my parenting. Go Chargers!

Jack-O-Lantern

This year Tutu and Papa got to join in the fun of carving the Halloween pumpkins. I don't know who enjoyed it more, Tutu and Papa who probably haven't carved a pumpkin in a while or Dan and I who got to sit back and watch the slimy mess from a distance. Actually, with Tutu directing, the boys and surrounding environment stayed impressively clean. Tutu is the queen of clean!

I would have to say Papa probably enjoyed the whole process the most. He meticulously cut and carved those two pumpkins into masterpieces.

The boys enjoyed digging into the mushy insides and cleaning out all the seeds and pulp. Even Daniel who tends to shy away from slimy, messy things dove right in. We let Daniel draw a face for his pumpkin, but he drew a complicated Halloween scene instead of eyes, a nose and a mouth. Papa and I looked at each other not quite knowing what to say. How do you tell a five year old there is no way you are going to try and carve his pumpkin masterpiece? Tutu came to the rescue showing Daniel some faces he could choose from a magazine. He seemed content enough with that idea and picked a face. Sammy picked a cat face.

After the pumpkins were finished being transformed into Halloween jack-o-lanterns we brought them outside and lit them up. So cute!

Can't wait for Halloween!

Happy 4th Birthday, Sammy!

A look at birthdays past...

Welcome to the World!

1st Birthday!

2nd Brithday!

3rd Birthday!

4th Birthday!

Almost 4!

Tomorrow is Sammy's 4th birthday! I can't believe it. I mean 4 years old! My youngest! When did that happen? It seems like overnight. Strange that 4 years ago there were also devastating fires burning in San Diego. Boy has my life changed in these last four years, in just the last year too. My sweet, sweet, chunka, chunka baby is a big boy.

We celebrated Sammy's birthday on Friday. We have the tradition of having our family and our old neighbors, Bela and Maracela who are like family, over for birthdays. Sammy's birthday has always had a Halloween theme, which makes things very easy, lots of balloons, candles and yummy cake. This year was fun because Daniel and Sammy could help decorate for the party and even helped make a pin the eyes on the pumpkin game. We had pizza and cake, friends and family. Just perfect! Sammy was tickled opening all his presents, one of the few times out of the year that he gets new toys.

Tomorrow we will have pumpkin pie to celebrate his special day. Yummy! It is funny looking back over the last four years because although Sammy has grown and changed so much he is still so much like the baby and toddler he was. He is still so smiley and happy. That kid sure knows how to have a good time! He is curious and never afraid to try something new. Sammy rarely complains or whines and always seems to enjoy whatever he is doing. He is still so silly and people always tell me that they love to just watch Sammy. And he still knows how to melt my heart in a heartbeat.

Sammy may be turning four, but he is still my sweet snuggle buggle and he still lets my hug and kiss his sweet, soft cheeks. Happy Birthday, Sammy! You are such a big boy!

The End is in Sight

Well, it appears the end is finally in sight. The fires are still raging, but the firefighters are finally getting a handle on them and are putting projections on when they will be fully contained. Evacuations are slowing down, and people are being let back into their houses. This week has been such an emotional roller coaster for the city of San Diego. I am thankful that this time the fires were far from our home and sad for those who have lost so much. But in every tragedy there is triumph and the city of San Diego has definitely triumphed. The way the city has pulled together and taken care of friends, family and even strangers has been absolutely astounding. Evacuation centers had to ask people to stop bring food and supplies because they were becoming overwhelmed with the amount of donations being dropped off. The radio and Internet were filled with people asking how they could help. Simply amazing.


School was canceled all week and we have been trying to stay indoors, so the boys and I are going a bit stir crazy. I have been trying to keep them from destroying the house and each other will trying to maintain my sanity. All and all the boys are doing well with everything. They know there are big fires in San Diego and that Daniel's teacher and a classmate were evacuated, but I have reassured them that our house is safe. Sammy got a little teary eyed thinking about the animals that might get stuck in the fire, but that was about it.


We have also been very lucky because the air quality has not been too bad. Because the fires are to the North and South of us and the wind is blowing West we are not getting a lot of smoke over us. The mornings seem to be the worst, but by nighttime the smell is barely noticeable and we have been able to get out and take the boys around the neighborhood to stretch their legs. During the Cedar fire we had ash constantly falling from the sky and air quality was so bad you didn't want to have to go outside at all. Of course the Cedar fire came within less than five miles of our house, so we were affected much more.


Despite all the chaos, Tutu and Papa are still coming down to help us celebrate Sammy's 4th birthday! Hopefully I-5 will not get shut down again. I am looking forward to getting back to life as usual. Thanks for all the prayers and keep praying for the city and people of San Diego.

Spooky

It is getting a bit spooky around here and it doesn't have anything to do with being so close to Halloween. The media does love to over-dramaticize everything, but is easier to do that when things just look eerie out. The sky is dark, the sun has a halo around it, and there is that distinctive smell in the air. Whenever we would move back to San Diego from where ever growing up, the first brush fire would bring back the memories of that distinctive smell. Kind of like a barbeque, but not quite. In fact, walking around the neighborhood last night with the boys looking at Halloween decorations we smelled barbeque, but I think that it really was just some chicken on the grill.

The fires are bringing back strong memories of four years ago, just days before Sammy was born. Memories like standing outside our front door talking with our neighbor. Looking across the valley to see firetrucks up on the next ridge. Trying to figure out if we were supposed to evacuate. Poor Suzy wondering if we would be able to get to the hospital for our scheduled c-section. Fires getting so close to work that a couple of guys going to grab all of our computers. Fires jumping the 52 Freeway and getting way too close to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Niban.

Now it seems like things are about the same. Fires surrounding San Diego city proper. Evacuations from places that I have been riding my bike through. My co-worker has gone home this morning because the fires are just across a freeway from his house. This morning Suzy and I kept hearing barking, but we couldn't figure out where it was coming from. When I walked outside to catch a ride to work (can't walk, air is too nasty out) I talked with my neighbor and she told me her house is full, some friends were evacuated late last night, and she now has two dogs, three cats and a bird, in addition to the three cats she already has. A crowded house. Well, that at least explains the strange barking.

The reassuring thing to us is that we live in an area that people are being evacuated to, not from. But please keep the people who have been evacuated and all of the emergency personnel in your prayers. Talk about hell on earth for those people.

The Power of Prayer

One of the things that we are going over in our Sunday School class on parenting is praying with, and praying for, your kids. Praying for Sammy and Daniel is no problem for me, mainly because I need all the help I can get trying to figure out how to do this whole 'father' thing. Praying with the boys has always been more of an issue. They tend to get a bit distracted. When they say grace for a meal inevitably the other one is starting in on dinner early, or playing with his fork, or leaning back in his chair, or... well, you get the picture. Then when we say our prayers at night Daniel generally is pretty good, sits their quietly, but Sammy is a squirmer. Here, there, everywhere. I have tried having him lie down, sit in my lap, kneel at the side of the bed, nothing much works. So, the other night Suzy and I decided to try and split them up for night time prayers, and I don't know how it worked for her, but Daniel and I did great. Typically I ask the boys what they would like to pray for, and I just go from there. That night after I was winding down Daniel actually jumped in and added some good stuff on his own. It was surprising, and actually very heartening, to know that he is starting to understand about praying and talking to God.

This morning on a bit of a whim as I was about to leave I called Sammy over to me and we sat by Daniel and prayed for his day at school (today is a day Sammy stays home with Suzy). We prayed that he would have a good day, that he would have fun with his friends, learn a lot, respect his teacher, and Sammy was jumping in on the prayer with me. There is hope. If God can get a not quite yet four year old Sammy to pray with me for his brother then there must be hope.

So let us know if we can pray for anything for you all, I don't know what God's answer to the prayer will be, but me and the boys, we can surely ask!

Pumpkin Time

I can't believe it is already that time of year! You know, when time seems to go into warp drive. Sammy's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year and finally Daniel's birthday. It is like a whirlwind of excitement and activity. The first trip to the Pumpkin Patch always seems like the launching pad to me.

I have been to quite a few pumpkins patches since having my first child. All have been very fun, but I think this one, Victoria's Gardens, has been one of the best. You never quite know what to expect when going to a new pumpkin patch. Will it smell of cow manure the whole time? Will there be a good selection of pumpkins? Will there be a hay maze or petting zoo? The pumpkin patch the Kindergarten class went to today had it all. We took train and hay rides, jumped in jumpy tents, slid down giant slides, ran through a corn maze, took a pony ride and pet and fed the animals. The kids had so much fun it was fun just watching them.

At the end the kids all got to pick out a pumpkin. The only requirement was that the pumpkin be about the same size as your head. Lucky for Daniel he inherited his father's very large noggin.

I am so glad I got to participate in this fun event with Daniel's class, but I am wiped. I don't know about Daniel, but I think it will be an early bedtime for me. And I get to do it all over again on Monday with Sammy's preschool class.

So now there are pumpkins on the porch. There is no denying that the holiday season is upon us. Let the good times roll!

El Caballo!

So... we are driving up the coast of Baja California. We spent Friday night in Ensenada, and we were supposed to catch a shuttle up to Rosarito in the morning on Saturday for the start of the ride. The shuttle wasn't where we thought it should be, so after parking our car (Bob's Volvo, which we weren't absolutely sure we would ever see again), we had to ride our bikes around downtown Ensenada looking for the shuttles. After a few miles and much consternation we stumbled onto the secret shuttle spot, loaded up our bikes and headed north. The shuttle was packed full of twenty five people who all seemed the same, but all were very different. The riders were nothing if not eclectic, young (saw a kid who was probably about six on the back of a tandem with his father), old, skinny, fat, gringos, Mexicans, you name it, we saw it. The conversations on the shuttle ranged from political debates to training rituals (it was a long ride).

So... we are driving up the coast of Baja California. We come around the bend and up ahead I see a cloud of smoke and hear some squealing brakes! The big truck in front of us just slammed on his brakes and swerved around something in the road! Our driver, a young person who didn't speak much English, starts muttering under his breath, clearly rattled, trying to figure out what is going on. Then, through the smoke emerges... a horse? In the road? Just running around in the slow lane. No rider, just the horse. Please keep in mind that the road that we are on is analogous to the I5 here on the West Coast, or the 95 in the East. It is the major North-South freeway in Baja California, and there is a horse jogging? cantering? in the slow lane. Our poor driver slowed quickly, very quickly, and started honking his horn. The horse didn't really care. Along it went, with enough of a weave to its journey that going around wasn't really an option. After what seemed like a mile, but was more like a hundred yards, the horse veered off the side of the road and headed inland. The driver just muttered some more and then sped right up as if nothing happened. Ah, the resiliency of youth.

It was quite an interesting start to our day.

Made It

We made it. No accidents (for us at least) and no injuries (to us at least). It took us just under three and a quarter hours (the exact time is hard to say since the start is a bit nebulous). Our ride was pretty hard, but fun. Riding up to Rosarito in the shuttle the morning of the race is a bit daunting. You are in the shuttle for over an hour, seeing parts of the course, seeing the hills you will be climbing, all the while thinking, 'I have to ride all this way on my BIKE!' But once you get going it went much quicker than I thought. Actually the first twenty miles really flew by.

More stories to come, but I wanted to publicly thank and congratulate Bob, he did really well on the ride, and was a lot of fun to be with in Ensenada. When we got to the finish line we were looking around, but didn't see anyone older than him. It was very impressive. Nice job, Bob. Way to go.