Bad Blogger Busy Bee

There was a little mother,
who had a big beehive.

She buzzed around and
        
       o  u
    r         n
a                d
         &
a                d
    r         n
      o   u

Her life was full of sweet
little honey treats

known as baby bumble bees.

There was a little mother
who loved and

         v

    o        e 

 l                d

         &

 l                d

    o        e

         v

and forgot to "blog" it down.

So if you want to know
how the little bumble bees are doin'

they are turning into busy lil' bees
just buzzin' and

        z   z
    u           i
b                  n'
          &
b                  n'
    u           i
        z   z

I've missed writin' it down.

Disneyland Momma

The last couple of weeks have been so much fun!  Here is a re-cap!

Hubby & I snuk away for a night out on the town while my friend Jewels took care of the kidlets!  SWA had an employee special at the Palazzo so we stayed there super cheap and got 2 for 1 tickets to Blue Man Group!  It was rockin' - especially since they were overbooked and upgraded us to a 2000 sq foot suite (that's as big as my HOUSE, people!) complete with a baby grand piano (I really should practice more so I can play in those situations - cuz you know they happen all the time…..)  and a pool table (I really should practice that too, a shark I am not!)  We had such a great time and stayed out half the night and acted like newly-weds!  It was so much fun and oh-so-indulgant!  Yipee! I love me some couple time with my man!

I took Bella on a trip to Disneyland! Yes!  Just Bella & me!  It was so fun to spend time with her and be silly, crazy, giddy for a few days!

The purpose of the trip is actually to spend time talking about what I like to call the "Sex, Drugs & Rock-n-Roll" conversation we all have to have with our kids.  About four years ago, my pastor's wife (who is one of my parenting mentors) told me how she had taken her daughter on a Disney Cruise for a few days and had the above referenced talk and how wonderful it was to spend time talking and making good memories one-on-one BEFORE the hormones and boy-craziness hits that we call Junior High!  So she made me promise I would take my kids on a trip (and Hubby would take our son) to do the same.  Shortly after that conversation, I was at a Marriage Conference called Weekend to Remember when I saw a display for a program like Pastor's Wife had described called Passport to Purity  - Perfect!  I bought it and saved it for a year when Rose was getting ready to start Middle School.  She had chosen to go to Six Flaggs Magic Mountain and we rode roller coasters (and I got my brains mushed) for three fun filled days!  So Bella has been planning her Passport to Purity trip for the last three years!  

Some things I loved about my Mommy / Daughter trip with Bella:

• Bella planned for weeks which rides we would go on and in what order 
• As soon as we arrived at our room in the hotel, she unpacked her bag, arranged her cosmetics, potions & lotions and turned down the bed
• I was able to spoil her rotten and buy her gifts and treats and not feel a bit guilty! 
• It was a  once in a lifetime weekend and I lived fully in the moment
• We skipped through Disneyland and acted like 11 year olds
• We ate chicken strips and fries (her very favorite) every single day, most days twice a day
• We played in the ocean, splashing and drinking too much salt water and getting sand everywhere, including all over the rental car
• I left her gifts on her pillow (bracelets, books, bookmarks, cd's) to shower her with love
• I got to visit my birth-place and the beaches I always heard my older siblings talk about surfing at when we lived in California
• I got to see my daughters love for her siblings as she carefully and thoughtfully picked out gifts for all of them
• We had the best conversations about the purpose of life, love and discussed her hopes and dreams

I love you, my Bella!  

Since I'm in the mode of the Disneyland Fairytale -

May all your dreams come true!  

Toothless the Nightfury Dragon

Fred lost his first tooth!  His two front bottom teeth have been loose for a month or so and he has been working to get them out.  Every night at bedtime we brush teeth and I wiggle them hard a couple times to help out.  The other night I could tell that the one was really loose; and well; having one child who swallowed a tooth, let's just say I didn't want a re-peat of that scenario..... so I asked Fred if I could just try one more time to get it out.

POP!

Out it came, no problemo, just a little blood & NO TEARS!  Oh, Fred - you are such a little man, good job dude!  Let's go show Daddy & Sissies your toothless grin!

We booked it downstairs and he took in all the "cool, dude" and "awesome" accolades and we went to head back upstairs to bed.

While still in the kitchen and with everyone around, little man grabbed his tummy and started whining "Oh, Momma, I don't feel so good....." while his eyes were rolling up in his head and he started flopping around like you do just before you faint.....

I jumped into action, grabbing him and talking to him to keep him from passing out, trying to gain eye contact and (gently) smackin his cheeks to try to get him to snap out of it.  My mind was racing 1000 miles an hour... please don't pass out; you did such a good job not crying when you saw blood and your sisters will never let you live it down if you faint after loosing your first tooth.... when Fred suddenly perked right up, jumped out of my arms and yelled

  

"Boo! haha Momma, got ya!"

If he wasn't toothless before, he certainly would be now........

Daddy Day

What our Daddy means to us by the Q-Crew:

• How old is Daddy? (LaLa) One!  Giggle Giggle; they all knew cuz he had the big 4-0 party this year!
• What makes Daddy happy?  (Fred) Playing the tickle game with his children.
• What is Daddy's favorite thing to do? (Bella) Watch NASCAR!
• What is Daddy really good at? (Rose) Playing Bass Guitar.
• What does Daddy do for work? (LaLa) go to work, fix "elicoptors" and airplanes.
• Where is Daddy's favorite place to eat? (Fred) McDonalds!  very funny, son - Daddy will eat anywhere but McD's!
• What does Daddy teach you? (Bella) Baseball!
• What makes Daddy sad? (Rose) When we are obnoxious.
• What do Daddy's do?  (LaLa) Do nice things for their children. (Bella) LaLa's a kiss-up!
• What does Daddy want for Father's Day? (Fred) A Motorcycle.....  (Momma) oh, sorry Pops! A new cross necklace is much safer than a bike!
• What is Daddy's favorite color? (Bella) Red!
• What does Daddy do for quiet time? (Rose) Read the Bible (!! love this !!)
• What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? (LaLa) Hug him (Fred) Go to NASCAR (Bella) Book Club!  (They are reading / discussing the Lightening Thief series right now) (Rose) Watch NASCAR!

Hubby, you are the best Daddy our kids will ever have :) 

I love you, my whole world is with you and our Q-crew

Dolphins & Kisses!

Here are some pics of Daddy doing his ride-along for his 40th birthday that we finally did a couple of weeks ago:

Love you, Daddy!

Birthday Madness

Fred is six (6!) and Rose is fourteen (14!)..... wow how time goes by in the blink of an eye.  Seems like Rose was just turning six, and now she's getting ready to start high school. 

I decided to make our birthday celebrations a little less of a production this year (to save sweet moola and teach contentment) so our parties were low key and no-stress!  Fred hung out at his favorite park with his buddies, and Rose went to the movies with friends (sans parents or siblings, eeekkk) and then hung at her favorite park with her buddies (sans parents or siblings, eeekkk)..... I laugh at the differences AND the similarities in their choices of party venues!  giggle giggle

Enjoy the pics of days gone by!

Her love of reading begins...

Rose turning 1 and diggin in!

Halloween 1998 cheering on Momma's school!

Halloween 1999 - she wore that bunny costume every day for at least a year!

Jelly Belly 2001

Seaworld 2004

chilling with friends 2006

We met Josh Groban 2007 (He has pretty teeth!)

becoming a photographer 2008

......and now.....

a beautiful, smart, talented, crazy silly

wonderful daughter that I am blessed with.

I love you, little one
________________________________________

Now Fred's pics of days gone by

our little man (aka squirt) arrives!

My 2 fav men! 

Yes, his thumb is always in his mouth!

It was in his mouth during ultra-sounds and

went back in right after birth! 

I'll be a sad momma when he stops....

2007 with his "Adventure hat" he wore everywhere

Halloween 2008 whudduya mean I can't eat it all now?

Summer 2009 

2010 Fred & his little dudes

Oh how I love you Little Man,

you are already reading and have your own little life.....

but you will always be your momma's boy!

summer Summer SUMMER!

School's out for SUMMER!  Three months of lazy, hot, sunny, slushie filled evenings by the pool! 

I think they are already bored.

I'm not!  The last week of May always finds me running ragged between:

• End of School Award Ceremonies
• End of Year Band Concerts
• Registration for the school year to come
• Baseball Games
• Baseball Playoffs & extra practices
• Fred's B-day
• Rose's B-day
• Memorial Day
• oh, yeah - I work full-time
• and - run a house full-time
• and hubby worked two extra 12 hour shifts this week
• AND we hauled 5 tons of rock around our back yard switching from grass to desert landscape....

Which means......

I can't WAIT for pool side rest & relaxation now that the kids are all old enough to play independently (in life-jackets, of course) to read a book and sip a slurpee......

Money, Money, Money ~ In a rich man's world

Little man has an obsession with "The Circle Dot Store", which is commonly known as Target.  He refused to call it Target for a long time - now he does & the rest of the family calls it The Circle Dot Store.  This obsession of his is not limited just to one store, any store he knows sells toys he will beg to visit every time we drive by.  Maybe it's a boy thing, he LOVES games of any kind, video is his favorite, but any card game, board game, or guessing game will do.  Anyone want to play rock, paper, scissors?  Uno?  Candy Land?  Wii?  Nintendo DS?  A puzzle?  Tag?  If the game involves guns, oh that's so much better!  His obsession became begging to visit the store, one particular instance sticks in my head and goes like this:

"Mom, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Don't know son, what are you thinking?"
"Chuck-E-Cheeses!"  (With the cutest little melt the Momma smile I've ever seen!)
Because you know Chuck-E-Cheese has the best games ever, and then you win toys! 

I decided it was time to stop the begging and begin the earning.  You know the saying, if you give a man food he will eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he will eat for a lifetime?  So begins the responsibility of earning money by doing chores around the house...... ALLOWANCE! 

Little man has had chores for a couple of years now, easy ones for his age like clearing the plates after eating, picking up toys at the end of the day and such.  He is such a good boy and helps out a lot, but allowance brings a whole new set of responsibility in our household.  I spoke to him about making his bed everyday, keeping his bedroom floor picked up and keeping his backpack where it belongs.  He will earn some money to be able to spend it at the Circle Dot Store with his own money instead of begging for toys every time I go!  We also have a rule that of course, extra chores are encouraged!  Just ask what can be done and we'll negotiate a job and a price!  My girls don't really care to do extra, but Little Man has cleaned windows, folded and put away his own laundry, wiped down cabinets and anything else I can think of for a 5 year old to do to earn extra cash!  He's a working machine!  Every morning as soon as his little head pops up from the top bunk, he is making the bed as he gets out of it! And in the evening when his big sissy's are doing their chores, he is asking what he can do to earn an extra quarter!

After a lot of hard work for a couple of weeks, he had enough money to go buy his own toys!  This is what he bought with his hard earned cash!
 

Marshmallow Gun Attack on Daddy! 

Nothing like the pride of ownership and victory over Poppa!

Now, If I could just get everyone to not eat the marshmallows that they find hiding in every corner of the house!  ;)

Trick or Treat my Pretties

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year... what a great time to have fun, dress up, eat candy!  Yummy!

• Rose was too old to care about carving pumpkins :(
• Bella carved her own pumpkin :)
• Little Man and LaLa made carving pumpkins very fun :) :)
• Trick or Treating with 4 kids gets you lots and lots and lots of CANDY!!

Rose the Candy Cane Witch

Bella the Zombie Southern Belle

Little Man as Darth Vader

LaLa as Snow White

 

LaLa originally wanted to be Princess Leah - which I loved (Darth Vadar and Princess Leah - how cute!), but she changed her mind after I bought the Snow White DVD.  Bella was going to be a cute Southern Belle but decided at the last minute to add the zombie part (I think it's because she loves to play with the makeup!).  And I can't tell you how many times Rose changed in and out of her costume; adding leggings, shorts, changing her mind, then changing back again.... Little Man; however, never once changed his mind on his costume!

It was a great evening with lots of laughs and sugar all around!  Come to think of it, we will all be on a sugar high for at least a week!

Happy Harvest!

Casting Crowns Concert Weekend!

One of my favorite bands is Casting Crowns and I have been wanting to see them in concert for a few years now.  It seems they aren't going to come to me, so I decided to go to them!  I looked on their website and found they were going to be in Southern California on a weekend that my family could schedule in!  Yay! 

 Family Vacation Weekend 2009! 

Oh, it was such a perfect weekend!  One of those that makes you go, WOW, this is what I always pictured when I was a little girl and wanted a husband and children!  Sorry so Polly-Anna, but it was a

much MUCH MUCH MUCH much

 needed weekend getaway that only laughing, tickling, music, ocean, movies, junk food and the people you love most that makes the daily grind worth it all! 

• The kids watched some great movies on the car ride down (whoever invented the built-in DVD player; I love you sooooo much!). 
• Saturday morning was full of driving around Hollywood trying to get our GPS unit to work with no success, so instead of geo-caching, we played tourists and drove in circles around the Hollywood sign; good times (it is a QCrew tradition to "get lost on purpose" so we see more sights, I truly love this part!)
• Saturday afternoon was spent at Zuma Beach in Malibu enjoying the sand between the toes, waves, and playing tag with little Man, I think we ran a 5k on the beach!
• Finally, time for the Main Event ~ Casting Crowns ~ BEST CONCERT EVER!!!  I would drive to Cali anytime to see them again.  My favorite part?  That my girls loved it when Mark Hall (lead singer who is also a youth pastor) spoke about his faith and told about their new album coming out November 17th, titled Until the Whole World Hears and how their mission with this new cd is to share the love of Christ Jesus with the whole world through World Vision (seriously??? This was their favorite part of our Hollywood / Malibu / Beach weeked???? ).  It was especially touching because we recently started sponsoring a child in Albania through World Vision and just received our first letter from his family!  It really hit home that we are trying to share our faith with others as well! 
• Sunday came way to fast, but we decided to drive to Malibu and up the coast a little then swing over to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.  It was so much more than I expected, they had a full size Air Force One there and a piece of the Berlin Wall.  We spent all afternoon there because we just couldn't leave without seeing absolutely everything!  Of course we got home super late, but it was so worth spending the time doing all we did!
• The ride home was the icing on the cake!  We had an amazing, open, honest, serious life discussion with our teenager about life, love, friends, marriage, music, God, Jesus, family....... it was amazing and I am so grateful we have the family I always prayed for. 

Rose & Bella didn't come out of the water for hours!

Little Man and LaLa didn't make it throught the concert, Casting Crowns weren't as exciting as the beach!

piece of the Berlin Wall

I can't figure out why Air Force One is sideways, sorry to give you a crink (sp?) in your neck!

http://www.worldvision.org/

CastingCrowns.com

 *** Reminder!!  The new album comes out November 17, 2009

 & after hearing most of the songs during the concert, it is going to be aaaaahhhhhmazing! ****

Oh, My Minnions ~ you may serve me now!

Princess LaLa is the big FOUR!
We went to a bbq at our Pastor's house and it turned into a shin-dig for LaLa!  She was in heaven and a true princess enjoying all the attention and love from everyone!

I was soooo excited to give LaLa her presents this year!  I got her "Bitty Twins" by American Girl!  These dolls are a BIG deal in our house!  Rose is too old for them now, but Bella and LaLa sure love to play with her old ones and theirs.  Many, many, many happy hours have been spent in our home combing hair, changing clothes and pretending with these beautiful dollies and I couldn't wait to give LaLa her very own babies to love!  The fun thing about this gift was the fact that they were twins!!  You can get boy/girl combinations and customize to hair / eye color (although a little dissappointing that the brown hair boy only had brown eyes and the blonde boy had blue eyes - I guess they don't get enough orders for boy dolls? I had to settle for a brown eyed boy which took the little man about 0.1 seconds to point out that the boy doll didn't have blue eyes.  oh well....).

Little man and LaLa are only 15 months apart, which qualifies them to be called "Irish Twins".  They really are like twins, so close in age and best friends forever!  LaLa thinks she is going to marry little Man and gets so upset when I tell her it isn't gonna happen!  They are little partners in crime!  So I thought it would be soooo adorable to get LaLa a set of twins to play with! 

In true Princess LaLa fashion, she promptly named the babies after herself & her brother! 

Little girl, I love you so much 

You are the little bonus baby God knew I would adore! 

You are my sunshine, my silly willy, picadilly, alligator stare..... you are my ice cream sandwich, my watermelon gum, my soda pop, my lollipop, my yummy yummy yum! (borrowed from our favorite book "You're my little Love Bug" by Heidi Weimer)

  Our family is complete!  September 6, 2005

LaLa made quite the entrance, didn't wait for the Dr to arrive and was delivered by the Nurse!

She's 1!

at her first b-day party, begging food from sissy! 

LaLa sneakin' some frosting from her Magenta Cake for her 2nd Bday!

She's 3 and a true Barbie Princess!

(Love Bella covering brother's mouth!)

It was so hot, the icing melted off the cake - gotta love the 110 degree September days!

The cutest scrunchie face EVER!!

and this is how I remember MY bitty twins!