Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Gotta Love Imagination!
I took these a couple weeks ago. I was upstairs cleaning and Shane was with the kids. When I came down they had their snow pants, and slippers on. They were hilarious, they made up their own little game where they'd run from one side of the house to the other, do knee slides, and then scream "SCCCOOORE!" Later that day they had their swimsuits on and were pretending they were at the beach. Nolan ended up running around outside with a diaper and half his swimwear on, but did put a hat on for warmth...hmm. So completely bundled up and sweating inside the house, and half naked outside, makes sense =) I felt bad for the neighbors that day, the kids kept peaking through the fence talking their ears off. We have very random events that happen in our household. Especially when my little free spirited rascals have their imaginations running wild. I'm blessed that these two play well together, and have great little imaginations and can entertain themselves! To be honest, I think they have more fun during dramatic play, then they do when they're playing with toys. 
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
ChEerS Tabitha!
We love this girl!!! Most of you know this already, but just in case you don't, Tabitha is my brother Joe's girlfriend(of years at this point, come on Joe, where's that ring??!!) Tab has become so close to our family, she's become one of my closest friends, and my kids ADORE her. I know I've mentioned that before. I think Olivia considers her one of her "bestees" NO JOKE! She had a sleepover with Tab and Joe a couple weeks ago and didn't want to come home. If she could spend 24/7 with Tab, she would! When I think of SWEET, Tab fits it, she really is so kind, generous, always happy, positive, and such a joy to be around. We had a Birthday party for her last Friday at my parents house. *One more thing I should mention, she moved ALL the way over here from Cleveland, Ohio(to be with Joe!) We enjoyed celebrating you Tab, and hope this next year brings you all the HAPPINESS you deserve!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
100th Day of School CELEBRATION!
Olivia celebrated her 100th day of school last week~wow the school year is just flying by! They started the week off by bringing in their 100's project~which was a collection of 100 small "things." Liv chose M&M's. It was a great little math lesson as well, helping the kids learn to count by 10's.
The next day was Pancake-Pajama Day! A couple other parents and I went to school with the kids that day and helped make 100 pancakes. They also had applesauce, & little sausages. I think the best part for the kids was wearing their pj's and slippers to school! I can't express enough how grateful I am for Olivia's Kindergarten teacher. She is such a WONDERFUL person, and has truly been a gift! Olivia has loved school, and when she's had to stay home when she's been sick, cries and says she wants to go to school. Ha, wouldn't it be nice if our kids felt that way about school forever?!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
I Am My Beloved's and My Beloved Is Mine~Song Of Solomon
Weekend at Cannon Beach!
Shane and I finally got away for a weekend together, after nearly 7 years! I was a nervous wreck, and a couple of days before we left I wanted any excuse to either take the kids with us, or stay home. Neither of those things happened and last Friday morning Shane and I left for Cannon Beach, Oregon. We have always loved our road trips together. We used to take them all the time when we were dating, and before we had children. Getting away together was one of the best things we've done in a very long time. I feel like we rejuvenated our love, friendship, marriage, it was bliss! Just to really focus on each other was great, to start and end a conversation without any interruptions, to NOT be on any schedule at all...the toughest decision we had to make for 3 days was what, when, and where we'd eat =) We stayed in an amazing hotel that completely pampered us. The pampering included things like~turning down our bed at night and placing handmade chocolates on our pillow, complementary dvd's delivered to our room, homemade chocolate chip cookies, tea/coffee available 24/7, stocked our fridge each day with beverages of our choice, complementary cheese wine every evening, and the most delicious breakfast I've ever had. The breakfast had every kind of fresh fruit you can imagine, homemade granola, pastries, breads, floretine egg scrammble(they switched it up each day,) peppered bacon, irish oatmeal, fresh squeezed juices, organic coffee/tea. It was seriously out of this world! Our room was 30 feet from the beach, it was so beautiful. The tide was so high the entire time it was unreal. We've always gone down in the summer so this was an entirely different season for us to be down there. It rained the majority of the time, but we were prepared and that didn't keep us away from the beach, day hikes, and walking around the quaint little town. I included a lot of landscape pictures in the slideshow. I wanted you all to see how amazing one of the hikes we went on was. We hiked through a lush forest to get down to the beach. It was so beautiful, at the end of the trail, it opened up to the ocean. There was a river and small creeks running through the forest leading to the ocean. The trees were HUGE, you'll notice some pictures with Shane standing next to them.
One of the other highlights of my mini vacation was spending an evening with one of my longest, most dear, best friends in my world, April. We have been bestee's for 20 years! We've gone through so many chapters of LIFE together. I miss her so much but we've managed to make our friendship a priority in spite of not living in the same town. We plan on seeing April and her sweet family again this summer!
While our time away couldn't have been more perfect, we were ready to get back home to our 2 little sweethearts. We missed the kids, and our family time, chaos and all ;)
Shane and I finally got away for a weekend together, after nearly 7 years! I was a nervous wreck, and a couple of days before we left I wanted any excuse to either take the kids with us, or stay home. Neither of those things happened and last Friday morning Shane and I left for Cannon Beach, Oregon. We have always loved our road trips together. We used to take them all the time when we were dating, and before we had children. Getting away together was one of the best things we've done in a very long time. I feel like we rejuvenated our love, friendship, marriage, it was bliss! Just to really focus on each other was great, to start and end a conversation without any interruptions, to NOT be on any schedule at all...the toughest decision we had to make for 3 days was what, when, and where we'd eat =) We stayed in an amazing hotel that completely pampered us. The pampering included things like~turning down our bed at night and placing handmade chocolates on our pillow, complementary dvd's delivered to our room, homemade chocolate chip cookies, tea/coffee available 24/7, stocked our fridge each day with beverages of our choice, complementary cheese wine every evening, and the most delicious breakfast I've ever had. The breakfast had every kind of fresh fruit you can imagine, homemade granola, pastries, breads, floretine egg scrammble(they switched it up each day,) peppered bacon, irish oatmeal, fresh squeezed juices, organic coffee/tea. It was seriously out of this world! Our room was 30 feet from the beach, it was so beautiful. The tide was so high the entire time it was unreal. We've always gone down in the summer so this was an entirely different season for us to be down there. It rained the majority of the time, but we were prepared and that didn't keep us away from the beach, day hikes, and walking around the quaint little town. I included a lot of landscape pictures in the slideshow. I wanted you all to see how amazing one of the hikes we went on was. We hiked through a lush forest to get down to the beach. It was so beautiful, at the end of the trail, it opened up to the ocean. There was a river and small creeks running through the forest leading to the ocean. The trees were HUGE, you'll notice some pictures with Shane standing next to them.
One of the other highlights of my mini vacation was spending an evening with one of my longest, most dear, best friends in my world, April. We have been bestee's for 20 years! We've gone through so many chapters of LIFE together. I miss her so much but we've managed to make our friendship a priority in spite of not living in the same town. We plan on seeing April and her sweet family again this summer!
While our time away couldn't have been more perfect, we were ready to get back home to our 2 little sweethearts. We missed the kids, and our family time, chaos and all ;)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Sleepy head...in a BiG BoY bed!
I Love This Boys Eyelashes(They remind me of Snuffleupagus)
First Night In Big Boy Bed!
More Snuffy =)
This wasn't by choice, I was forced, by Nolan. He's been climbing in and out of his crib for quite sometime now so it became a safety issue. Liv was out of her crib at Nolan's age, but there's something about the second born. Instead of anticipating every milestone or stage, I want time to freeze every now and then, no rushing! Like I said, he was becoming a little monkey with the crib, in fact, when he'd climb back in, it was as if he was in track participating in the pole vault! He'd just run for it and then practically do a back flip into the crib, that's Nolan for ya. So last weekend Shane took his crib down. I couldn't even watch, it seriously made me sick to my stomach, I had to leave the room. The thought that the crib may never be used again in this family just crushes my heart, it has so much history. After Shane took it down he brought me all the bedding, bumper, crib skirt, etc...for the wash~I told him that I couldn't look at that either. My baby is growing up...sniff sniff :( I do have to say he's so darn cute in his wee sleigh bed, it suites him. While he is safer now, he's also a little excited about the freedom of not having to be lifted out of his bed. The other morning we heard a "flick" in his bedroom around 6:30 AM. There was light coming from underneath the door. We walked in and he was sitting on the floor with one of his books. Children are precious, but there's something about when they're sleeping. Nolan hardly ever falls asleep anywhere but his bed(or ours,) or the car. He asked Shane to wrap him like a burrito the other day on the couch and within 10 minutes he was sleeping sound. He did it again today when he was downstairs watching a show. I just want to squeeze him even harder when his cheeks are warm, his breathing is relaxed and his little mouth open, what is it about sleeping babies? I COULD JUST EAT!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Somewhere over the rainbow sits...Leopoldo Pena (Leo) Garcia April 27, 1927-January 8, 2010
These are some of the pictures we dug out for the slideshow at my grandpa's funeral. I tried really hard to put all these pictures in chronological order, then my computer crashed and I lost all my work, and blog entry...arggg! So, sorry that the slideshow is kind of random. I did the best I could!
This wasn't an expected passing. Sure my grandpa was getting up there in age (82 yrs old,) but had a mind that was as sharp as a tack still. His body however was definitely showing signs of age, especially his eyesight over the last year or so. This nightmare of a situation began right before Christmas when my grandpa was experiencing, and complaining of horrible stomach pain. Nonetheless, he ended up in ER that very same night and had emergency surgery do to a blood clot in his colon. Well, everything started to go downhill from there on out. After his surgery, he was having a hard time breathing on his own. They kept him inhibited, on the ventilator for a few days until they felt he was strong enough to breath on his own again. He was in ICU during that time. On Christmas night, he seemed off(that's what my mom and auntie Jeanette were saying.) He was having difficulty breathing and at this point was off the ventilator. Within an hour, he stopped breathing and coded. The staff at the hospital brought him back, but we were certain that he'd pass within a day or 2 at point because his body was starting to shut down in areas. While all the machines were doing the work for him, you could still tell he was fighting away. Needless to say because he's a stubborn, strong, Mexican, lion of a man, he came out of this and they even moved him from ICU to the acute floor. However, he didn't last long on that floor. Back to ICU he went. The reasons began to get more complex. Collapsed lungs, barely any lung capacity, and his GI tract wasn't healing the way the surgeons had hoped for. He started to become a very ill man. Within a week or so he coded again, was intubated again, and took a turn for the worst. At that point he had severe pneumonia in both lungs, there was no blood flow going through his GI tract, his kidney and liver were started to shut down, and to top it off, had Mersa flowing through his bloodstream. With all those things against him, we at that point knew what the outcome would be. Definitely not what we'd hoped for, or had even thought would happen initially. He was such a fighter, and fought his hardest until the very end. The doctors and staff gave him a nickname in the hospital, they kept calling him Rocky. The ongoing joke was that nobody would want to be in the boxing ring with him...because they'd lose!
My family had to make some very difficult decisions in the days to follow. My heart is aching for my mom. I truly don't think she will ever get over what she just experienced with her Dad. She kept saying she thought he'd get out of the hospital, sleep in his own bed, take his little walks to the mailbox, go to De Leon with her for lunch, & go to Safeway for his coffee and donuts during the week. I think we're all still shocked. I am grateful however, for the time I got to spend with my grandpa during his final days. I camped out at the hospital for the better half of 4 weeks to be with him, and my family. I was able to get some closure with him, and even got to speak with him before he passed. Something beautiful that I take away from this is that I learned more about my grandpa during that 4 weeks than I ever had before, and felt the closest to him as I ever have thus far. Leo had one of the biggest hearts, would truly give you the last dollar out of his pocket, and never judged people. He has the sweetest voice and always called us his "hija and/or hijo." Pronounced mija(mee hah) and mijo(mee hoh) which means my girl/boy. Rarely did he call me by name. I loved his accent! He will be missed immensely. Not since the birth of my children have I experienced such an intense, & emotional moment. I was telling Shane that watching my grandpa take his last breath was similar in the sense that you have a team, coaching you through bringing life in to this world, and my family and I were there doing everything we could to give my grandfather every ounce of comfort that we were capable of. It was so difficult to watch, but oddly, I'm grateful I was there with him. I(we)still can't believe he's gone. With sadened hearts we said goodbye. I do know that his is free as a bird now, happy, and living again. The Priest at his funeral said something like this "Leo is home now, with his porch light on, waiting for all of his loved one's to come home." I imagine he is, and know that one day I can see him again, and he'll say to me "hi hija" and maybe I'll even eat some of his green chilies and homemade refried beans. That may sound really weird, but it puts a smile on my face.
Mom, if you're reading this...I love you so much and words cannot express how sorry I am for your loss(for our loss.) I hope that you will find comfort in the memories you have of grandpa and that they will help you find peace in your heart.
This wasn't an expected passing. Sure my grandpa was getting up there in age (82 yrs old,) but had a mind that was as sharp as a tack still. His body however was definitely showing signs of age, especially his eyesight over the last year or so. This nightmare of a situation began right before Christmas when my grandpa was experiencing, and complaining of horrible stomach pain. Nonetheless, he ended up in ER that very same night and had emergency surgery do to a blood clot in his colon. Well, everything started to go downhill from there on out. After his surgery, he was having a hard time breathing on his own. They kept him inhibited, on the ventilator for a few days until they felt he was strong enough to breath on his own again. He was in ICU during that time. On Christmas night, he seemed off(that's what my mom and auntie Jeanette were saying.) He was having difficulty breathing and at this point was off the ventilator. Within an hour, he stopped breathing and coded. The staff at the hospital brought him back, but we were certain that he'd pass within a day or 2 at point because his body was starting to shut down in areas. While all the machines were doing the work for him, you could still tell he was fighting away. Needless to say because he's a stubborn, strong, Mexican, lion of a man, he came out of this and they even moved him from ICU to the acute floor. However, he didn't last long on that floor. Back to ICU he went. The reasons began to get more complex. Collapsed lungs, barely any lung capacity, and his GI tract wasn't healing the way the surgeons had hoped for. He started to become a very ill man. Within a week or so he coded again, was intubated again, and took a turn for the worst. At that point he had severe pneumonia in both lungs, there was no blood flow going through his GI tract, his kidney and liver were started to shut down, and to top it off, had Mersa flowing through his bloodstream. With all those things against him, we at that point knew what the outcome would be. Definitely not what we'd hoped for, or had even thought would happen initially. He was such a fighter, and fought his hardest until the very end. The doctors and staff gave him a nickname in the hospital, they kept calling him Rocky. The ongoing joke was that nobody would want to be in the boxing ring with him...because they'd lose!
My family had to make some very difficult decisions in the days to follow. My heart is aching for my mom. I truly don't think she will ever get over what she just experienced with her Dad. She kept saying she thought he'd get out of the hospital, sleep in his own bed, take his little walks to the mailbox, go to De Leon with her for lunch, & go to Safeway for his coffee and donuts during the week. I think we're all still shocked. I am grateful however, for the time I got to spend with my grandpa during his final days. I camped out at the hospital for the better half of 4 weeks to be with him, and my family. I was able to get some closure with him, and even got to speak with him before he passed. Something beautiful that I take away from this is that I learned more about my grandpa during that 4 weeks than I ever had before, and felt the closest to him as I ever have thus far. Leo had one of the biggest hearts, would truly give you the last dollar out of his pocket, and never judged people. He has the sweetest voice and always called us his "hija and/or hijo." Pronounced mija(mee hah) and mijo(mee hoh) which means my girl/boy. Rarely did he call me by name. I loved his accent! He will be missed immensely. Not since the birth of my children have I experienced such an intense, & emotional moment. I was telling Shane that watching my grandpa take his last breath was similar in the sense that you have a team, coaching you through bringing life in to this world, and my family and I were there doing everything we could to give my grandfather every ounce of comfort that we were capable of. It was so difficult to watch, but oddly, I'm grateful I was there with him. I(we)still can't believe he's gone. With sadened hearts we said goodbye. I do know that his is free as a bird now, happy, and living again. The Priest at his funeral said something like this "Leo is home now, with his porch light on, waiting for all of his loved one's to come home." I imagine he is, and know that one day I can see him again, and he'll say to me "hi hija" and maybe I'll even eat some of his green chilies and homemade refried beans. That may sound really weird, but it puts a smile on my face.
Mom, if you're reading this...I love you so much and words cannot express how sorry I am for your loss(for our loss.) I hope that you will find comfort in the memories you have of grandpa and that they will help you find peace in your heart.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The voice of and ANGEL~
Brandi Carlile is one of my favorite singers. Her voice is so amazing, never a flaw! She has one of those voices that I could fall asleep to everynight because it's so beautiful. Not everyone can sing completely unplugged and send chills down your spine and make you want to cry all at the same time. I also LOVE Katie Herzig and she opened for Brandi again. I saw them both last year at the Fox with the Spokane Symphony. One of my besties treated me to VIP Brandi Carlile tickets a couple weeks ago~THANKS JEN! It was another brilliant concert! Not to mention, a much needed night out with a good friend. There were a couple other girls who came along, another friend of ours from J.H., H.S., and WSU, Jenna, and Deanna(A friend I met through Jen.) Jenny always knows how to make me laugh, and brings out the goofiest side of me =) It was nice to have some laughter and joy after a strange, and intense month of, well...Mess!
Jenny & I(You'll notice my nostrils are flaring and my eyes are squinted, because Jen has me in stitches over something I can't write on this blog.
Katie Herzig!
Brandi Carlile, she's so cute, I love her style!
I took this picture because this lady's annoying, terrible hair kept getting in the way of my view. Oh how I wanted to hand her my hairdresser's card! Get out of the 80's! Not to mention she and her 80's bf kept making out, it was gross!
Another fun moment when we could be immature and play because we weren't with our kids =)
These girls=TROUBLE!
Jenny & I(You'll notice my nostrils are flaring and my eyes are squinted, because Jen has me in stitches over something I can't write on this blog.
Katie Herzig!
Brandi Carlile, she's so cute, I love her style!
I took this picture because this lady's annoying, terrible hair kept getting in the way of my view. Oh how I wanted to hand her my hairdresser's card! Get out of the 80's! Not to mention she and her 80's bf kept making out, it was gross!
Another fun moment when we could be immature and play because we weren't with our kids =)
These girls=TROUBLE!
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