Halloween 2011!

Hello Fam & Friends!

How are you? I can't believe Halloween has come and gone already! How did that happen? I have to say that this Fall has been ridiculously busy and filled with challenged that are completely abnormal. Still, Halloween comes like a tornado into our home...a fun, fabulous, exciting, perfect holiday! Owen picked his costume in about 2 minutes on our first trip to Party City. $10!?! Deal! Sold! Let's go! Cam's costume was a given because the boy is obsessed with the original Disney's Peter Pan movie. He looked soooooo stinkin adorable! Sawyer originally wanted to be a monkey super hero that threw banana bombs but...he changed his mind and became Wolverine! He looked great!

On Saturday, the 29th, Gage Elementary threw a great Fall Carnival. We had so much fun!

Then, the big day came. We started the evening with mummy pizza at our good friend, Darina's home. Then, after a whirlwind of photos...we headed for the best street in our neighborhood for lots of spooky sights and sounds....but great candy! It was perfect! The parents even got some treats...in the form of mixed drinks and jello shots! Woo-hoo!

Click on the photo to see all of the pictures!!!!!!!!

Busy, busy, busy!

So, as most of you know, Sawyer finished 1st grade this past June and the end of the year was filled with activities and fun times with friends.

On June 8th, Gage Elementary had an awesome Field Day! It was a wonderfully chaotic scene filled with tug-o-war, obstacle courses, 'hockey,' parachute races, basketball, hula hooping, etc. The PE teacher, Mrs. Elrod, had an amazing playlist of upbeat music blaring over the fields and the energy was palpable.

June 9th was Owen's last day of preschool at at Gage. We had a special party for his class sponsored by the Gage PTA. Turns out that the preschool class raised more money during the Walk/Jog-a-thon last year than the entire 5th grade class!

Click this LINK to view a slideshow with more photos of the kids, their classmates and the end-of-the-year activities. :)

End of the School Year Party!!!

After our last day of 1st grade at Gage Elementary, on June 13th, we joined the families from Sawyer's kindergarten class for a little celebration. It was a great party and the kids lasted well into the night. It was a beautiful start to the summer.

Click on this LINK to see more photos!

Poor O-Boy!!!! Ouch!

Today, I had one of those dreaded moments as a parent when you realize your child is very hurt & you need to act fast. Honestly, I am kicking myself in the ass every time I think about it too much. Had I been thinking about it, this never would have happened. Had I listened to the concerns of friends, it never would have happened. My concerns never extended as far as they should have and I feel horrible about it.

So, here is what happened. Owen discovered Eddie's tape measure this morning and was having a great time all morning measuring things and making it zip back into the case-thing. We went to Office Max and he dragged the tape measure across the floor behind him calling it his puppy. Then, after school, he took it out on the playground to play with and show his friends. As we were wrapping up the day and getting ready to go, Owen was running with the measuring tape in his hand and another little boy stepped on the end that was dragging. With the tape as a dead stop and Owen's hand still in a forward motion, the tape acted like a razor blade and sliced Owen's hand in three different spots.

I saw it & immediately realized what had happened. By the time I got to him, there was blood dripping from his chubby fingertips onto the blacktop. I scooped him up, rinsed his hand and gathered up the papertowels other mommies collected but the blood was coming too fast to keep up. It was scary. Mind you, I had 3 other kids there that I was responsible for (Cam, Soy & the boy I babysit, Gavin).


We made it to the nurse's office where I used the mediocre supplies to wash his cuts & keep his hand covered with pressure while I figured out the next step. With the help of another mommy, we made it to the car and then with just a few minutes notice, I dropped Cameron & Sawyer off with a great family friend & headed to urgent care (THANK YOU!).
Let me just say that the nurses at the urgent care were AMAZING! They were so warm and friendly...I think they definitely helped my little O-Boy stay calm. After they cleaned his hand (horrible...he cried so hard), the doc checked it out and gave us our options. He said the cuts were deep enough for stitches but that it would be torture to make him get them. He suggested skin glue but then said the healing process would be slower and that it would be dependent on how mobile his hand was. Basically, he gave me 2 choices with no inclination toward either and said..."Let me know what you want." Nice. I was clueless. I was leaning toward the glue but, when I told him that he kind of raised his eyebrows like, "...if that is what you REALLY want to do.,," I spoke with Eddie about it and then a nurse came over and said, "Go with the glue. If it were my daughter, I would go with the glue." We talked about it and I was so thankful for her input.

So, they glued up his hand! He was fascinated! Then, they put a splint on it so he wouldn't move his hand and stretch the cuts. He has to wear it for 3 days. it is amazing how brave he was. We talked a lot about how brave doesn't mean you aren't scared or that things don't hurt you. It means that you do what is right even though you are scared or hurt. I told him that he was doing just that.

So now, we will take care of our poor baby. Eddie says maybe it will make him decide to be a lefty (he has been toggling between left- & right-handed). :) He also has something pretty cool to share during sharing time tomorrow at school. Also, I will nurture myself & try to forgive myself for letting him play with a stupid tape measure.

Let me also send out a prayer for all of those families who are watching their babies go through pain on a grander scale. I got a glimpse of what that fear is like and it is nearly crippling.

Owen right after our arrival to Urgent Care.

"This is my brave face, Mommy."

Okay, now this soaking-thing is really starting to hurt.

 Time for the glue. I told him it would help his body heal itself...like a superhero.

Adorable and splinted. Looking like it was all a piece of cake.

"Teeeeeyuuuck!!!!!"

"Teeeeeyuck!" That is how our beautiful 3rd born says 'truck'. Now, mind you, he doesn't just say it...he shouts it with the exhuberance most save for when they win the lottery! He screams it whenever he sees a truck, thinks he sees one, hears one OR thinks he hears one. It is hillarious! Oh, I forgot to mention...you HAVE to acknowledge what he is noticing or he will get progressively louder and more forceful. :)

A few weeks ago, we went to Barnes N Noble and found this awesome "truck book" on their discount rack. It has rocked Cameron's world! It is almost an addiction for the poor kid. The book is filled with photos of all kinds of trucks (different colors, shapes and sizes) and the boy almost goes hoarse from shouting "Teeeeyuck!" ten million times. :)

Batman is called to action

Tonight, Owen was asked to clean up his toys after dinner. He was working on it but it was a painfully slow process as nearly every toy needed some one-on-one attention on its way to its bin. Suddenly, Owen stopped in his tracks and announced, "Mom, I am not cleaning." I replied, "Excuse me?" He held out the McDonald's Batman action figure and said, "I am not cleaning because Batman is doing it!!" I said, "Well, Batman is slow! You need to tell him to get his butt in gear!" In response to my request, I heard this:

(like buttons being puched)  Beep, boop, beep, beep, boop
(robot voice) "Butt in gear, check!"

...and off he went!

Cam-the-Man!

Just a few awesome pics of our youngest.

A Surprise Visit with the Ohana!

(3/9/11) Today we were lucky enough to have Eddie's cousin and her family over for dinner. They were in town for a quick trip to Disneyland & the San Diego Zoo. They are wonderful people and the fwe hours we spent with them were not enough. :)

Courtney, Sawyer, Cameron, Carter, Owen

Catch me a Leprechaun

Sawyer had this awesome project for St. Patrick's Day. He was asked to build a leprechaun trap! The teacher game him a list of things leprechauns like (gold, rainbows, 4-leaf clovers) and told him to go for it!

We raided our art supplies and he picked out an empty box & from it, cam this work of art. The lid of the box was made heavy using the mosaic glass & a small twig was used to hold up that lid. The stick was tied to that beautiful painted gold rock in there. The idea was that the leprechaun would try to grab the gold & the stick would be moved causing the lid to close.

On the eve of St. Patrick's Day, those little leprechauns made an appearance in the classroom! They made a mess, too! They turned chairs over, changed the calendars, wrote funny things on the board, & left little notes for the kids saying that they had narrowly escaped the traps! It was wonderful, in fact, Sawyer has little hand prints in his box to prove it!!!

Cookie Time!

(3/2/11) Sawyer has, once again, switched from dolphin trainer to baker as his preffered future profession. So, here we are, baking sugar cookies with sprinkles, from scratch! Delish!

Oh, & here's Cam lookin cute in a Texans hat. :)

A beautiful walk.

(3/30/11) Today, we took a beautiful walk with friends through Mission Trails. The boys had an amazing time, especially when I gave them permission to splash in the San Diego River. :)

Click on the photo below to see the slideshow.

Super Heroes and Super Attitudes

Today, being the first day of Spring Break, was filled with crazy kids and, unfortunately, a crazy mom. We spent the morning exploring the costume box and revisiting the alter-egos of my beautiful boys. Sawyer waffled between the amazing power of Captain America and the skills of Mr. Fantastic. In fact, at one point he had one costume on OVER the other one! Owen started at Captain America as well but spent the majority of the morning as his beloved Iron Man. Cameron was all about Spidey. He even voluntarily wore the Spider Man mask!!  He kept growling at me. :)

Later in the day, we FINALLY got our acts together and made banana bread. This was a first time baking endevour for all of us. During the final stages of mixing, Owen called dibs on the right beater on the mixer. When the beater was delivered to those chubby hands, Sawyer lost his mind because it looked like Owen was getting more. Basically, Sawyer left the building and some crazy attitude-filled kid took his place. There was a lot of screaming and door slamming while Owen and I stood quietly in the kitchen waiting for resolution. After a while, the noise stopped, so we decided to investigate. We found Sawyer passed out cold in his bed. He hasn't napped in ages so, WOW! I was shocked. He slept for 3 hours!!! 

He would have been tall, handsome, a basketball star....

Anyone who reads this blog (probably about 12 of you) knows about Braden. Three years ago today, he passed away after having his tonsils and adnoids removed. He was 3 1/2. Crazy, huh? I still can't believe it actually happened that way. He and Soy were BFFs...well, more like brothers. They were supposed to grow up together. I wonder what they would have been like now. Would Brady and Sawyer be learning about sports together right now? Would he like music as much as Soy? Would they laugh hysterically at Wipeout together? What would they talk about? Soy is tall for his age but Brady would probably tower over him. God, I miss him.

Below is the little video I did right after his death on March 23rd, 2008, Easter Sunday.

The moment before.....

I always try to capture these moments. Those rare times when all three kiddos are getting along and playing without argument or frustration....AND without the tv or Wii. I grabbed my camera and snapped this photo without really realizing what was happening. Sawyer and Owen built a ridiculously long bat out of the pieces of their marble run. Owen was placing the ball on the tee which happened be positioned precariously close to Cameron who was playing with his trash truck. Had I been using the non-sentimental part of my brain, I may have been able to predict that in the split second after this shot 1)Sawyer took a hard swing at the ball 2) a piece of his 'bat' flew off and tagged Cameron in the cheek 3) the completed swing smacked Owen in the hand. Extreme screaming and crying ensued and I was called back into action.

Oh, how fleeting those peaceful moments are.

Grammy & Grandpa encore!

We were lucky enough to have Grammy & Grandpa for another short visit after their trip to Palm Desert for a tennis tournament. They are always great company and the kids, of course, love every second that they are here.

Owen & Grandpa playing "people games" with action figures!

Cameron seems to be putting Grammy in her place about his beloved 'truck book'.

We decided to have a sushi party on Tuesday night. We have done it before with friends but Grammy & Grandpa were sushi-making first-timers.

This isn't the most appetizing food shot but, at least you can get a sample of the food & mess we made.

The Annual Gage Walk/Jog-a-Thon!

On March 18th, the kids' school held their largest PTA fundraiser, the Walk/Jog-a-Thon. The kids collected donations and pledges from family and friends and then they ran their little hearts out! We had some wonderful, generous donations....THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!  Eddie and I were the only ones who pledged a per-lap donation ($1 per lap)...woops! :)

Owen's little preschool class did their Jog-a-Thon on the kindergarten playground first thing in the morning. Now, his track was tiny. I am spatially challenged so, guessing the actual length of the track is nearly impossible but, if you think about the fact that he ran 21 laps in 15 minutes...you get a clue. Still, I am one proud mama. he ran his little heart out! He wore his Buzz Lightyear shirt and every time he felt himself starting to slow down, he would push the button on Buzz's chest and then take off like a jet! It was adorable!

This is Owen's little classroom. They were singing this froggy song that I then had in my head for the rest of the day. :)

Last year, I made Sawyer and he loved it so, of course, I had to do it again for my Sunshine Boy. P-1 is his classroom. :)

Every time the kids completed a lap, they received a little mark on their cards. The little girl in the shot above is Owen's betrothed. :) Her name is Taya and she and her family are wonderful. She has announced that she is going to marry Owen. :)

Cameron kept himself busy by playing with his favorite toy in Owen's class. :) He tries to steal this thing nearly every day.

Sawyer's run started at 1pm. The kids ran 1/8 mile for each lap and they ran like crazy! Sawyer was amazing as he has become quite a runner this year, running 3/4 mile nearly every morning before school at the Running Club. This kid ran 20 laps...2.5 miles!!!!!!!

My handsome boy getting ready for the run to start. This was the first time he saw his cool sign, too!

Serious running with his pal, Jaeden.

His friends loved the sign...in fact, a few asked if I could make signs for them next year. :)

Miss Taya, the cheerleader.

Eddie made some certificates for them at work to congratulate them on their hard work.

My Silly Boys

I have no real reason to post these photos...other than to document some of the things I see every day in this house. These kids are amazing. They are fun, smart, beautiful, funny, perfect and crazy. :)

T-Ball Time!

So, Sawyer became a huge fan of baseball this past season as he joined Eddie in cheering on the SF Giants to the World Series. We decided to ride this passion into t-ball. We signed him up without discussing it much with him because....well, he is a bit of a chicken. :) He has a lot of anxiety about new things. While he usually enjoys everything once he is there, often the anxiety over the unknown is overwhelming for him. We mentioned this t-ball thing to him once and he swore he would NEVER do it. Eddie and I went back and forth on what our job, as parents, was in this situation. Should we protect him from those fears and listen to his requests to not play OR should we push him to challenge those fears. We chose the latter.

Anyway, we are now a few practices and 2 games into the season and he loves it. These photos are from his first game on march 12th. He looked like such a pro out there and we are so proud of him. He is #6 on the A's.