Second post o' the night

I should be finishing up our tax paperwork, but my head just aches from all the numbers.  Maybe a few written words will help get me motivated.

She keeps me on my toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way (most days anyhow :) ).

Lazy Sunday

lazy Sunday (as in p.j.'s all day long) + extreme concentration =
RESULTS!!

A welcome distraction

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Micke Grove Park in Lodi last week. What a neat little place! We toured the Japanese Garden, a very small, but cute zoo, huge castle-like playground structure (there are several scattered about), and kiddie amusement park. Besides the amusement park, we spent less than $15. The kids had a blast and the weather was absolutely perfect. A nice day to just be.

Picture from the Japanese Garden.  A really beautiful place even in the dead of winter.  I can't imagine how nice it will look come spring.

Obligatory, but still cute.  How does he do it?!

And she sits(!), but only for a second :)

What a cutie!

Mia loved the little fishy, but I think she mistook it for a train as I caught her saying, "Choo-choo!"

Who knew a double chin could be so darn cute?!  Live it up, girl!

Enjoying life...

Alfonso surprised me with birthday money to buy a new lens for my camera. Originally he planned on purchasing a zoom lens with the belief that it would come in handy as our kids aged and played sports etc. I thought that was what I wanted too until I did a little more research. For a fourth of the price I ordered a lens that allows me to take more indoor pictures without the use of a flash. If you pay attention, you'll notice that the use of a flash really "kills" a picture by making it appear a little flat. I still take pictures with my pop-up flash, but its nice to know I can capture more pictures full of life.

This lens is very sensitive to any sort of movement so I haven't yet had a chance to capture a real goodie of Mia...the girl never stops moving, but that's a story for another time :). I took this picture of Spencer in our entreeway with the front door open. That's usually a great spot to get natural light without harsh direct sunlight and get nice catchlights in the eyes.

I made it to Grandpa's house today.  It helped that my two cousins meet me there and I waited in the car until their arrival because I just didn't think I could do it alone.

Of course I cried when I saw the makeshift "shrine" his caregiver created on Grandpa's chair.  He hardly ever left that chair and now it's empty...forever.  Weird.

When my dad called this last Sunday to tell me Grandpa had taken a turn for the worse, I knew I needed to be in that room as soon as possible.  The problem was Alfonso was at church with the car and the car seats and I had a little munchkin at home with me.  After the tenth unanswered phone call, I found myself pacing in the garage just waiting to jump in the car the moment he arrived.  I was anxious alright and I needed to focus my energy on something other than my husband's inability to answer his phone at such a critical time, so I started to pick-up a bit.  I found a few of Spencer's Sunday school masterpieces.  When I brought the papers into the house, something caught my eye.  A piece of bright blue construction paper held a message I know was sent for me as it read, "God is with me".

He is, isn't He?    

I entered Grandpa's room asking God to wrap His arms around me.  Due to circumstances surrounding my earlier years, I've grown to have a deep anxiety surrounding death or illness.  I'm not talking about the normal fear most of us carry, but rather a fear that's required years of counseling and one that will continue to require effort to overcome.  I knew Grandpa was near his end and I knew he would find peace with the life he lived, but it's still hard to let go.  

When his heart and oxygen monitor signaled trouble, I squeezed his hand a little tighter.  He fought and he fought hard.  As he took his last few breaths, I was nose to nose with the very best Grandpa in the world.  What a peaceful passing.  I've thanked God over and over for the opportunity to be present.  

Our involvement in Grandpa's life says more about him then it does us.  Really, he was impossible not to love and care for.  As my Uncle put it, "He made his own luck."  My dad has told me many times that he's never heard Grandpa speak ill of anyone or curse.  That sure makes me wish I was a little bit more like Grandpa.  I too never saw him angry.  The only time I remember him being upset with me was when I purposely stepped on a snail and told Grandma he did it.  Sure pill time would cause him to occasionally declare, "You're sure bossy!", but more for a laugh than anything.

Now that his house is completely empty, we'll begin to sift through the treasures he and Grandma found along the way.  Its hard, that's for sure, but it only hurts because we loved them both so much.

Grandpa

My grandpa passed away yesterday morning.  This last week was pretty tough as I prepared to say goodbye.  I'm not up for posting much more than this as my emotions are still pretty raw (which is why many phone calls have gone unreturned).

I took this picture a few days before grandpa passed away.  I don't usually have my camera with me when I go to his house and I'm so thankful that I felt a prompting to have it with me that day.  To me, this picture is proof that a photo doesn't have to be perfect to be priceless.

And now I'm a believer.  The above photos confirm the fact that a little boy will indeed make weapons (and related "apparel") if not provided the real deal.  Spencer found the knife in Mia's food cutting kit and then he used a nylon bag to complete the Rambo look.  He was in such a rush, he didn't have time to remove the balls from the bag, but you get the point.

Our late Christmas summarized in five pictures

When you've got kids in the picture, this is considered a keeper.

Mia is opening her wood "food".  She wasn't amused and wondered where the real stuff was.

Yes, it is indeed a apron my son is wearing, but you got to admit the 

retro space theme is pretty cute.  Plus, my window of opportunity is limited.

Practice makes (almost) perfect kids.

Be scared.  Be very scared.

We had a fantastic late Christmas.  We ate a breakfast casserole and lounged in our p.j.s all day long.  That night, Alfonso surprised me with a nice (and pre-planned) birthday dinner at Shutter's.  I had only twenty minutes to go from laying on the couch in my p.j.s to dressed and out the door.  It didn't help that I had a wicked cold and  I was pretty miserable when our babysitter arrived.  Thankfully, I have some great friends who seemed happy to see me even without a shower.  We had a fantastic time out and left after almost four hours of conversation.  We might have stayed longer but we got the feeling the place was just kept open for us :).  Although I'm not a fan of surprises, it sure made me feel special to know Alfonso had planned this night with me in mind.  He's really great.  If you need further proof you just might want to take a look at the above picture again...what a gem!

Christmas Day with my parents

I went to parents' house Christmas morning.  Clad in pajamas we made it right on time.  I didn't cook a thing...that's why I'm smiling.

(Early) Christmas at the Firehouse

We spent our evening at the firehouse for an early Christmas get-together.  The kids were plenty entertained with cookie decorating, dollar store goodies, and treats.  The food was fabulous and I went home absolutely stuffed, now I know where to send that Jenny Craig bill to satisfied.

Spencer's five!

Alfonso was home yesterday so we celebrated Spencer's last day being four. Today, we celebrated the arrival of year five with the one and only Lita (Abuelita).




This last picture of me with the kids was taken Myspace style.  I asked Maria (Alfonso's mom) to take a picture of me with the kids.  When the end result included us along with every other belonging in the house, I told her I'd take the picture instead :)  I really wish I hadn't erased the picture just so you'd believe me.

"Hey!  You know what tomorrow is?  Give up?!  It's my 5th birthday!!"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you Silly Monkey!"

"Don't forget because I just might get a little upset."

"And you don't want to see my upset...trust me!"

The future's so bright...

...I gotta wear shades, I gotta wear shades

This must be the case because these shades were worn well after the sun had set :)

Proof a cute wiseman did indeed exist...

Spencer played the part of a wiseman in his preschool's Christmas play.  This is his second year of preschool, therefore, his second Christmas play.  His "performance" proved his confidence has improved because last year our little drummer boy was practically tossed on stage.

Tossed or not, I love the kid :)

Christmas lights are even better with friends

Natalie and I took our four kiddos out for a Christmas light tour. While the kids enjoyed the lights for a bit, I think they were far more entertained to have a buddy along for the ride. It got a little loud at times, but we're pretty good at talking through the noise.

Homemade wrapping paper

I've had a roll of brown craft paper in our closet for a long while now.  After looking through my craft boxes I found some very old (10 years plus!) Christmas foam stamps.   We used a few foam brush to apply the paint to the stamps and voila!  Because I made due with what I already had on hand (including some semi-dried up paint), this was a complete freebie.  Hopefully, Alfonso reads this post :).

Cute as a button

I saw this craft on a site I like to frequent for ideas.  I thought this was the perfect way to use those extra buttons Spencer's been begging to create with.  Because I had the buttons, this craft cost under $5 (I bought a stiff version of felt in white and black).  The kids had fun and now I have a neat keepsake.  Win-win!