Christmas Card

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Glass Castle

Has anybody read this book? I just finished it and I have to say, absolutely LOVED it. I liked it even better than the Secret Life of Bees and Cane River combined (and I really loved those books). The best part about this book is that it's a memoir--it's TRUE! This is the life of Jeannette Walls. Amazing. One thing I took away from the book is the resiliance of children--I'm a good Mom, maybe too good...in their extreme parenting philosophy, or maybe utter neglect and dereliction (you can never quite figure out which) the Walls parents made me think that maybe I need to be a little more willing to let my kids make their own mistakes. Anyways, great book, blew me away, you should all read it--as an added bonus, it's a super quick read, for all you moms and workaholics with very little time to yourselves!

"Tagged"

So, I've been "tagged" to post "6 facts about Lia" - here we go:
1) Feet and thumbs gross me out, therefore these might be the first things I notice about you. If you give me someone's name that I know, I can most definitely describe their feet and their thumbs to you in great detail.
2) I talk, laugh, cry and tickle my arm whilst it's held up at a 90 degree angle in my sleep. I freak Ryan out. What's even more freaky is that my sister does it too--genetic?
3) My favorite treat ever is S'mores. It's the only reason I agree to camp, ever. Which leads me to my 4th...
4) I HATE camping. Don't tell Ryan, though I'm sure he already knows, he's just in denial. These are words that come to mind: dirty, cold, ticks, coin showers, public restrooms at 2 AM with a flashlight, boring, unless there's a beach,... So in regards to camping I just have one question: "Why?"
5) I start watching Christmas movies in August...okay, July.
6) And last, but not least, I will leave you with this: I get stage fright in public restrooms. In the dorms in college, I would always turn the faucet on before I went into a stall--everyone knew it was me in there when they walked in to a running faucet. Unless they were a guest, and in their ignorance turned it off, then I would have to wait for them to finish and leave. However, if you too share this same phobia, here's a little trick that I've learned since college: plug your ears. This works for two reasons: one, if someone does walk in the bathroom, you can't really hear, so you hardly know that they are there, and two, if you can't hear yourself pee, then nobody else can either, right?
Hope you enjoyed a little window into my life:) I am going to tag:
Josie
Nancy
Lisa
Sara
And that pretty much comprises my list of blogger friends--it just occurred to me, I need more friends...

Soccer!

Ummm, I'm sorry, but miniature shinguards, cute! Below are some action shots of Kayla at soccer "practice"--quotes because they are all "practices" really. Community center soccer doesn't actually have games. Unfortunately, she believes she will be receiving a shiny trophy at the end of the season, which is why she wanted to play in the first place... How much do you think we'd have to pay Coach Pedro and Coach Katie to participate in a mock pizza party and trophy ceremony at the local pizza joint?

Body Check!

Skills

Shot!

"The Team"

Jack of All Trades, Renaissance man, whatever the term, I married one.

So over Labor Day weekend, the kids and I headed down south to stay with my mom and sisters so that Ryan could remodel the kitchen. As many of you know, my husband is quite handy. In this most recent project he proved that he truly is, as they say, a Jack of All Trades. He did re-wiring for the under cabinet lighting, plumbing for new sink, granite install, dishwasher and microwave install, and everything else you will soon behold. I give you...
BEFORE:



AFTER:

Who knew we were living in such squalor?! I love my new kitchen and appliances that work and actually match eachother. Now can we sell it and get the heck out of San Jose? (Ummmm, no offense to all those whom I have met and love in bless-ed San Ho...I just miss the ocean and my allergies here are debilitating).

"The Little Guys"

We went to a Giants vs. Dodgers baseball game with the kids last weekend. It was their first baseball game and thanks to garlic fries and some treats I packed along, it wasn't terribly painful:) Benson managed to stay contained in our row for 5 whole innings! We took them to the kids size batting field and slides under the Coke bottle and called it a game.
But, my favorite story from their first game came from Kayla. She was intrigued by the whole experience and shortly after arriving Ryan said, "Look down on the field. See those little guys way down there? Those are baseball players." A little while later she began to get antsy insisting that we go "down there" (pointing at the field). We tried many times to explain to her that only baseball players were allowed on the field, when finally she shouted, "But I just wanna go see the little guys!" She thought they were really "little guys", like miniature people! A 4-year old's perception of reality--priceless.



PS: Giants won. However, Ryan was able to convince Kayla that she likes the Blue little guys.

Mrs. Beesley's Busy Bee School

Kayla had her first day of preschool today at Mrs. Beesley's, otherwise known in our household as "The Beez".
This morning in the car:
Kayla: Mom, is this YOUR music on the radio, or MY music?
Me: My music.
Kayla: Can I listen to my music?
Me: Sure, what do you want, Disney CD, Raffi,...?
Kayla: Ummm, Ralphie (Raffi).
She then proceeded to sing each song and comment after the close of each:
"I knew all the words to that one, that was an easy one."
And the kicker, just as we are pulling up to Mrs. Beesley's:
"I can't WAIT to show Mrs. Beesley how I can write my name, she's gonna be SO impressed."
While some may find smarty pants's annoying, I on the contrary am filled with the reassurance that MY little smarty pants is going to make it in this world--and, afterall, what did you expect? She IS her mother's daughter;)