Tahoe last week

Made a little slideshow on the computer (using something called smilebox, never used it until now, still not sure if I love it). You can either let it go at it's own pace or you can speed it up by using the buttons at the bottom once you're guided to the page where the slideshow is. Enjoy.

Make a Smilebox slidesh

Dodgers eeked out a win for us!

Just a few cute shots from the Dodger game Monday night. It was just the five of us, and the kids did better than expected. We bought the tickets last minute, for just $15 a seat. Not the greatest section we've ever sat in, but that was fine considering who we brought with us! They are not spoiled with good seats yet!
Note to us: no more taking kids to Dodger games on school nights - we didn't get home until after midnight because of extra innings and Daddy's personal rule that forces him to stay 'til the end of any game, no matter who is tired, whiny, cranky, or whatever. Honestly, I like that rule - I think it's sad when people leave early! I don't want to hurt the players' feelings!

Sophie's prom

My sister Sophie (who just turned 18 May 3!) had her senior prom May 2 - she went with her very sweet, close friend Paul. She looked wonderful, and the color of her dress was just beautiful to me. Here are a few pics:

Here she is with Grandpa, at the end of his birthday party, as she's getting ready to leave for her prom.


and here she is with my sweet parents.

more from the party...

First two pics are of Grandma MV and HER tree that was planted on her 80th birthday - look how it's grown!

Grandpa's Party

For Grandpa's party, we had several games but one in particular was the dart game we named "Mutant Gene Pool Pop Darts" and the following pictures hung on a dartboard with balloons between them - each pic has a family member in some "circus freak" type of shot - some are good, some are just ok, and some are downright priceless..my favorites are Grandpa as Sasquatch and my dad Mike as the Leopard Man. I didn't make one for EVERYONE in the family (notice I left out myself - why make fun of oneself? - and Andrea and Amelia and Tyler - partly because I was forgetful, partly because I ran out of ink in my printer!) Enjoy!

Grandpa Myron's 80th birthday movie/quiz

The quiz and movie for my grandpa's 80th birthday - thanks to my grandma and my mom for help with the photos. (The first 8 minutes and 20 seconds are just the quiz questions, so if you don't want to partake in the multiple choice quiz, skip ahead to 8:20 to see the cutie pie pics of my handsome grandpa!)

Ashly's shower

My soon to be sister-in-law Ashly with her mom Pat on the left, Mary on the right.
Ashly far left with her sisters Casey and Devon, and mom.
Pretty bride to be.

could they BE any cuter?

I don't think they can...then I catch a new photo of them and they blow me away. Sorry, but my kids ARE just that cute.

He finally kept his hat on in the sun....

Yes, this IS worth posting in it's own little post - it's not the 'norm' for him to keep any sort of hat on in the sun. But for some reason, when this hat happened to be a Dodgers cap, it was all okay???

Sidney and Jack

Sidney, Alyssa, Aubrey and Jack

The girls and their friend Aubrey all dressed up Jack rockin' out

un-dusting

Sid's way of un-dusting the duster she just used in the house.

I have funny kids

Okay, first a few of Sid's journal entries from school - and at the bottom, Jack tries to feed Lucky a CapriSun drink.

So my Jack is so funny. WHENEVER I say to him "Jack, do you need a new diaper?" he says "No momma, LALA!" which means, no mom, not me, then he points to Alyssa (Lala) and tries to convince me she has a dirty diaper - uh, hello Jack, she's FIVE!

A cool kid at CIF

My best friend's boy, making us proud.

Today

Just a few photos from today - First is Alyssa riding her old tricycle with "baby Moses" on the back. She made a moses basket today and then took him out and took him for a spin in the backyard. Also happening in the backyard, using the Burro for an outdoor dryer for our guest comforter! Looks pretty ghetto, but he's super useful SOMETIMES. The pic of our backyard, I just had to take, because sometimes this place cracks me up at how messy it gets. I feel bad for our gardeners, who feel they have to straighten out the kids' toys sometimes because they're all strewn about the lawn. And the last photo - this is ONLY online because I feel maybe I can make SOMEONE ELSE feel better about their mess if they happen to have one. This is the result of picking up everything off the floor to mop, then not putting it all away, and then starting cookies, and then starting 100 other things without finishing the first. Does anyone else share this problem with me? So, my floors are clean, but anything above that needs a few hours of work! Bobby's out of town this weekend working a case, so I guess I have the time, I just don't have any help with the crazy crowd of kids around me all the time! I have to go tackle this RIGHT NOW! Seeing a photo of it is very convicting.

Just random stuff and pics

My brother in law is one of the funniest people I know. This is what I caught after I promised him (i know, that's snake-like of me!) I was not taking video, just photos. He was just being WAY too funny, all competitive with his fianceeeeee (seriously, how many Es are necessary for a girl who is engaged?) and trying to beat her score and Bobby's score at the Wii Fit hula hooping. He has forever cracked me up. And all the giggling, well that's Alyssa, Ashly and me.

Notice Sid's spelling for Australia, Paris and America. So cute. She tries! That's all I can ask for!

>My Sidney

Sidney and Alyssa sledding without sleds.

Jack, Hailey, Sidney and Alyssa at Tyler's CIF Wrestling yesterday in Perris.

Birthday boys

Bobby and Jack on their birthday...and then photos from up in the mtns to celebrate Bobby's, Jack's and Mary's birthday together.

Sidney sings to Grandma Mary

more Christmas/mountain photos

Probably the easiest people in the world to take photos of - and the most fun. Bobby's cousins Nikki, Cory, Lindsey and Stephanie

it's tradition - matching jammies

Alyssa and her 4-yr-old cousin Stephen

Hannah (1 1/2) Alyssa (5) Stephen (4)

Stephen, Hannah and Andrew (6) (Bobby's sister Jenny's kiddos)

Jack, Sidney, Stephen, Alyssa, Andrew, Hannah

Jack's moving in the right direction

I know he'll hate these one day - they'll be deleted by then, I promise.
Bytheway, he's not "going." He just pretends. It's still adorable because he's the one who sets the whole thing up - gets the stool, gets the kid seat, claps for himself...it's cute.

Disneyland in the rain and freeziness

Bobby's parents bought all of us (yes, entire family of 14, although two of those fourteen people are under 3 yrs and didn't need a pass) Disneyland passes for the year! We are very grateful. It is my personal goal to go at least nine times this year. We'll see! We all went Monday - and if you remember anything about Monday, it was rainy, freezy, cold, windy - we LOVED it! We bundled up, knew what to expect, and were then pleasantly surprised when the rain turned into light showers from about noon on. We stayed at Disneyland for 12 hours and rode 16 rides. Not too shabby for a yucky day - there were very few people there. Little did we know a few months ago that we really did pick the "perfect" day.

The four "big kids" - Stephen, Alyssa, Sidney, Andrew
All 6 kids - Jack and Hannah in the strollers

Ashly and Jack

Ashly and Mikey
Hannah and Jack in Minnie's House
Carlos and Andrew

Michael and his windowshopping excitement
Bobby and Jess

Carlos and Jenny


Jessy and Jack
The four big kids
Sidney
Sidney

Jack and Daddy in Small World
Alyssa

Sidney, genuinely petrified after Daddy tricked her into opening this door that causes a huge loud shock-type explosion to happen all around you

Sidney, recovered from the shock, and Alyssa
Jack was BARELY tall enough (35 inches) to ride the Matterhorn for his first time - he loved it. All three of our kids have now ridden the Matterhorn before their second birthday. Probably too young - who knows the damage we're doing!

our party took up the whole row inside the submarine
Mary and Alyssa
Bob and Sidney
Mary and Sidney, during our third straight trip on Splash Mountain
Alyssa

I can't let mean people ruin my day, I can't let mean people ruin my day, I can't let mean people....

First, let me preface by saying it's raining, super windy, snowing and about 30 degrees. If it were sunny, breezy and 72 this may have been different.
I did something stupid today. I shopped in an OUTDOOR MALL with a 23 month old in the rain. Dumb. Strollers are not waterproof unless you purchase them that way. That was dumb. But I have to admit, once I got myself and Jack back into the car, my hair dripping wet and Jack relatively dry and warm for what I just put him through, things were lookin' up! The drama of running (literally) around in the rain to shop, pulling the stroller BACKWARD behind me because if I pushed it frontward the rain went into Jack's face, just made it seem like Christmas in a state that is known for being cold. It was fun. Honestly.
I drove home through snow, then got to my house where it wasn't snowing, but blocks away it was. That was weird.
Got home, shopped online for a moment (you know, just finally buying what was waiting in the imaginary shopping cart on amazon) and then headed out again to pick up my kids and their two cousins. No biggie.
Up to the school, major traffic. If I'd left 10 minutes sooner, I would still have been in a long line of cars waiting to get into the school parking lot and pick up dripping kids who have been waiting OUTSIDE for their parents. Too windy to send my girls with umbrellas, I woulda lost them. So they stood there, no umbrellas, while my car stood there on the street, not yet in the parking lot, behind what seemed like a hundred cars in line to do the same. Only I think more HIGHLY of myself at these moments because I am doing the work of what TWO cars would normally do, since I carpool. Therefore I am "greenER" than they are, and killing more birds with less stones (as sad as that stupid analogy is).
Up comes an orange truck from the opposite direction. Stops at the car in front of mine, talks to that person. Then comes up to me, pulls up, asks me to roll window down. Proceeds to nearly yell at me for "parking in the street." I smiled and told him I was not in park, I was in drive. I was just waiting behind OTHER cars, stopped in the street to make a turn. He then said "move your car." I said "I can't." He said, "you need to move it, CHP is on the way and they will ticket you for parking in the street." I said "sir, I am not parked, I cannot move, the cars in front of mine are stopped." He said "move your car." I said "sir, what would you do if you were me? I cannot move." He said, "back up and then drive away." THere was a car behind me, one in front me, I had left myself no room, not foreseeing that this wannabe cop CALTRANS worker would come force me to move. I just said "I can't move. I'm sorry. I will not back up into a car to avoid a ticket." Then I rolled up my window. He moved on to the next car.
A few minutes later, I was about three car lengths closer to the driveway. He passed me in the opposite lane again, then backed up, put his hand out his window and motioned me to go. I had room this time, because the car in front of me was pulling up. I showed him this. He said "GO" and yelled at me. So I went, before I started crying. I was now two car lengths from the promised land, I could SEE my kids standing in the rain and thank God they had hoods on, but come on. It's 32 degrees outside. That guy was HORRIBLE! So I turned into the lane and went on passing the school only to make an illegal uturn about fifty feet later and then make a left turn into the school, which he saw. At that time, I was just BEGGING for him to come to my car - Caltrans can't give out tickets as far as I know!
This guy, harassing moms picking up kids ON THE WORST WEATHER DAY IN THE YEAR when really if he'd have given it two minutes, it all would have cleared up without him having to be mad and bullyish. Whadda jerk.
Anyway, the only interesting thing about this story is how mad I got about it. Mean people just fire me up, and then I wonder if that mean person just made ME become one too. It's just not fair. I'm going to have to make a STRONG effort to be rubbed off on more by NICE people. I want some NICE person to come and just make me wanna be SO NICE to everyone!
But I also sorta wanna write an email to Caltrans....I would say "Hey Caltrans, it's Christmas. Leave the women and children alone and go fix some potholes. Thankyouverymuch."
Now I'm going to go make myself feel better by posting photos for you to see. Disneyland photos. What's more happifying than that???

Jack playing around

Feeding sister's baby ever-so-gently.

Sidney's Thankful Song

Sidney sang this song in front of EVERYONE for Thanksgiving dinner at the Hansons' house. I was so proud of her for not being embarassed to sing in such a large group - I would/could have never done that when I was 7. I would have been too busy hiding behind my mom or grandma. I loved how calm and soft she sang it, too. That's Nikki and her son Carter behind Sidney.

Alyssa's feast @ school

Alyssa (right) with her teacher and her best friend.

The kids singing their cute Thankful song.

Alyssa and her friend Naomi.

My guitar

The guitar I cannot play is very attractive to my girls - they SO badly want to learn to play it. Sidney asked me a few months ago if I could teach her to play before Christmas so that she could play for us on Christmas. I wish I could. I'd have to first teach myself, then teach her. Oh, and put on the missing string in the middle. But while they're just playing with it, aren't they so cute and concentrated?

the B-I-B-L-E - BIBLE!

For a brief moment, Jack thought it was fun to finish this song. Since this video was taken, documenting his second or third time doing this with the girls, he has not been willing to show it to anyone LIVE. Will he do it for Grandma? No. For his Sunday School friends? No. But hahahaha, Mom caught it on video. Enjoy. He's so dang cute, in my objective opinion. This video was taken about two weeks ago.

new names?

In the kitchen, where we chat the most, the girls and I were talking about our names and how special they are because they mean things. I told them the story of WHY I named them Sidney Elise and Alyssa Mae. Then, stupidly, I told them what my OTHER ideas for names for them were - I told Sid that if she were a boy, she would have been Carson. No biggie. She liked it. Then I told Alyssa, who I knew was a girl the whole pregnancy, that she didn't have a name until she was three hours old because we could not decide between Heidi, Mae, Kelly or Alyssa. It was only when I WROTE the name Alyssa Mae out on hospital paper that both Bobby and I looked at it and said, "that's the one."
Well, now Alyssa wants to change her name. She thinks Heidi suits her better. Then tonight at dinner Sidney announced that she, too, wants to change her name. She says Sidney is too much like a boy. I tried not to laugh, and told them their names are my favoritest and that is why they have them. Then Sid said, "well, I think I want to change it to something like....Helen."
Wow, Helen?
Just one of those super cute stories with no point.
But seriously, Helen? I mean, it's a good name and I know a number of wonderful people who go by it....but I can't imagine a name that would fit my Sidney LESS than Helen!
My kids are so weird sometimes.
Good thing we didn't tell Sid her name was ALMOST Sidney Ryan - talk about a boy name! LAST MINUTE that name changed to Sidney Elise. Good for her. Maybe she'll just go by Elise, and then we'll have an Elise and an Alyssa.

Halloween around here

My niece Amelia, almost 2

sleepy jack

my friend marti and her family

our friends Jason and Shelly and their family


My sister Cherie with Jeremiah, Amelia and Adrianna


Alyssa was a snow angel princess.


my parents with Adrianna and Miah (the glasses were NOT part of their costumes, but a goodie bag piece)


my mom, with "heads up Harry" that Bobby bought.


Bobby, me and the kids


Me, with my grandpa Myron


my parents with Jeremiah

Me, with a beer stein to show my authentic german-ness

Sidney and Caitlin

Sidney and great-grandpa Myron