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.