Crazy Catlett Clan

Just Saying

2011-07-30T18:52:00.001-07:00

I really Love my life!

Considering.....

2011-02-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

I am considering making my blog private. Not that I blog anything of great importance but I notice that I have followers that I don't know now and that is a little strange for me. I did start a new blog that will just have my book reviews on, I transfered all the ones from here over to it. I know that some of you have said that you are enjoying reading those. That new blog is Audra's Reading Review and the address is http://www.whatsaudrareading.blogspot.com/

January 23 - January 29

2011-01-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

Rebekah and Delilah got their 2nd trimester progress report and continue to do well in school.

Ephraim- got his progress report and he has fallen behind in math so we will be taking the next six weeks to try to get him ahead.

Chet and Audra- we had a housekeeper come in and clean for us this week. It was the best! I can't wait for her to come back in two weeks. This week seemed to be a lot smoother then the last month has been. I think we are finally back into the groove of things since Christmas. See you all next week!

Book Review #6

2011-01-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

This was the second book that we read for our book club at work.It is by the same author as Inkheart ( a series of books that I thoroughly enjoy). I have noticed that since I am trying to see how many books I can read this year I am flying through books quicker then I normally would. It is a lot of fun to take time to escape from the day to day and enjoy another world for a little while.

From Barnes and Noble

Beyond the mirror, the darkest fairy tales come alive. . . .

For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld's secrets and treasures.

Not anymore.

His younger brother has followed him.

Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . .

Unless he can find a way to stop it.

If you're looking for happily ever after, you've come to the wrong place.

My Review:

I found this book to be alright. It wasn't really a story that I would have picked to read on my own. Overall, I felt that it was an ok story but I thought it could have been developed a little better. A little disappointed.

Book Review #5

2011-01-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is a book that we read at work for our book club.

From Barnes and Noble:

After a car accident in which her passenger, Marissa, dies, June Parker finds herself in possession of a list Marissa has written: “20 Things to Do by My 25th Birthday.” The tasks range from inspiring (run a 5K) to daring (go braless) to near-impossible (change someone’s life).

To assuage her guilt, June races to achieve each goal herself before the deadline, learning more about her own life than she ever bargained for.

My Review: I LOVED this book. I even liked the ending, which is not something that happens very often. I found this book to be so funny, laugh out loud funny. I am not the only one I hear my co-workers chuckling in the nap room as well. It was just an easy book to read, with no gory or racey parts. It was nice to read a book that was just about a person trying to do a nice thing. I definitely recommend this book.

Week of January 16- January 22

2011-01-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

Ephraim- was a very brave little guy this week. He had to have some blood work done to have an allergy panel done. Turned out he is only allergic to mold spores and cats. That was great news. That means that we get to take him off all the medication that he has been on and only keep him on stuff during a santa ana. His behavior has gotten much better:)

Delilah- had all her girl scout friends over this weekend. It was a lot of fun until someone made fun of her :( and she was done. It ended well though, she ended up with 6 girls in her closet making her feel better.

Rebekah- Was excited to finally get to learn Dana Move 3, a Taekwondo form that she has wanted to learn since she started. She also has been empowered in dealing with a mean girl at school and has found out how much better she feels if she hangs around positive people.

Chet- has been great in picking up all the slack at home since I have been so busy. I love that he just does it without complaining.

Audra- has been really busy this week (this month). Between girl scouts, volunteering, parenting, and friends. This week I was able to have a girls night with most of my friends. It was nice to get out and just hang out with great friends. I also had to sit through an all day class for CPR and First Aid, but it is done for 2 years now.
See you all next week!

Book Review #4

2011-01-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

The Girls With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.
A Word of Warning: This book has some graphic violent sexual scenes in it. Don't want people to read it and then be like what the heck did Audra recommend.

From Barnes and Noble: A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga,
love story, and financial intrigue.

It s about the disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden . . . and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.

It s about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet s disappearance . . . and about Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism, and an unexpected connection between themselves.

Contagiously exciting, it s about society at...

My Review:
I really enjoyed trying to figure out what had happened to Harriet throughout this book. It did keep me guessing. Even when I thought I had figured it out and the characters involved something else would happen. I found it to be very well written. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

Weekend Recap 1/9/11- 1/15/11

2011-01-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

Ephraim- This was a rough week in the Catlett house. We discovered that some Asthma Medication that Ephraim was on was making him have uncontrollable mood swings and he has become very aggressive. This was a bad week for it as it was TaeKwonDo testing (video to come later after I learn how to use our new camera). His mood swing reared its ugly head and he refused to say "yes sir" resulting in a no change on his belt rank. This was devistating to watch as I know how hard he has worked in the last 4 months to have the right to test. He has learned a valuable lesson and I guess that is what is important. On a good note he is no longer on this medication and he is already starting to turn back into his regular sweet self.

Delilah- Tested for her blue belt this last week and on Saturday during her belt ceremony she was awarded it. She was very proud of herself as were we. She has also proved to be a very good mommy to her little companion Rose. She is very good at feeding and cleaning up after her. She also spends tons of time with her.

Rebekah- Tested for her blue belt (Permanent Rank) and was surprised (as were we) when she was awarded her Permanent Rank Purple Belt. This has to be decided by an unanimous vote of 4 black belts. It is amazing how fast she has progressed in TaeKwonDo. She has taken to it like a fish takes to water.

Chet and Audra- After dealing with the kids all week, we decided we were in much need of a date night. One of our new year resolutions is to go out once a month and to try new restaurant. Here is the recap of our evening.

We started our evening at Phil's BBQ in San Marcos. We ate on their patio. It was amazing and so yummy. Not a place we would take the kids but it was fun for just the two of us.Then we went to drool over new TVs for our bedroom at Fry's. We saw some we liked but nothing that we loved.
We ended our night at Jerome's. We our looking for a new couch to turn our room that has no purpose into a tv room for the kids. On a plus side we found a couch that we loved for a price that we loved. We hope to purchase it in the next month. WooHoo. Well it was no broadway plays for us we did enjoy our time away from the kids. Thanks mom for watching them for us.

Well that was just some highlights from our week. It was much more jam packed then that but I can't remember everything. Tata for now.

Book Review #3

2011-01-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

I had started reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo but on Monday when I left for work I realized that I had forgotten my book. The thought of having nothing to do for 2 hours was to much so I stopped at Albertsons with the hopes of picking up a magazine to get me through and what to my wondering eyes should I see, a box of bargain books. This one caught my eye. As far as easy reads go this one was alright but I had guessed the murder pretty early on so that was some what of a disappointment.

An Unsolved Crime...

It was a winter morning in 1978, that the body of a young barmaid was discovered in the snow banks of a Scottish cemetery. The only suspects in her brutal murder were the four young men who found her: Alex Gilbey and his three best friends. With no evidence but her blood on their hands, no one was ever charged.

That Was Never Forgotten...

Twenty five years later, the Cold Case file on Rosie Duff has been reopened. For Alex and his friends, the investigation has also opened old wounds, haunting memories-and new fears. For a stranger has emerged from the shadows with his own ideas about justice. And revenge.

Or Forgiven.

When two of Alex's friends die under suspicious circumstances, Alex knows that he and his innocent family are the next targets. And there's only way to save them: return to the cold-blooded past and uncover the startling truth about the murder. For there lies the identity of an avenging killer...

My Review: Like I said earlier in my post it was an alright book. I did guess that the murdered was %@#$! from the first or second chapter, so that sucked. It did keep me entertained enough to see it through. I am looking forward to spending all my reading time devoted to my other book now though.

Book Review #2

2011-01-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

My second book for 2011 was a gift from my coworker (Thanks Melissa).
Description: (From Barnes and Noble)
A tail-wagging three hanky boo-hooer, this delightful fiction debut by newspaper columnist Cameron (8 Simple Rules for Marrying My Daughter) proposes that a dog's purpose might entail being reborn several times. Told in a touching, doggy first-person, this unabashedly sentimental tale introduces Toby, who's rescued by a woman without a license for her rescue operation, so, sadly, Toby ends up euthanized. He's reborn in a puppy mill and after almost dying while left in a hot car, he's saved again by a woman, and he becomes Bailey, a beloved golden retriever, who finds happiness and many adventures. His next intense incarnation is as Ellie, a female German shepherd, a heroic search and rescue dog. But the true purpose of this dog's life doesn't become totally clear until his reincarnation as Buddy, a black Lab. A book for all age groups who admire canine courage, Cameron also successfully captures the essence of a dog's amazing capacity to love and protect. And happily, unlike Marley, this dog stays around for the long haul.

Review:
I cried quite a few times during this book. It was very well written and I found myself thinking about my own four legged friend while reading this. It was an easy read and I couldn't wait to find out what the Dog's Purpose was. I really liked the ending, which if you know me is something that does not happen often. A definite must read for all dog lovers.

Book Review #1

2011-01-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be fun to review all the books that I read throughout the year. I read tons (I get 2 hours most days at work to read, gotta love nap time) and am always looking for the next good book. Maybe someone out there in cyberworld is looking for a book to so I thought I would share.
The first book that I read in 2011 was Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks.
Description (from Nicholas Sparks himself)
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Review
I LOVE Nicholas Sparks books because they are easy reads full of emotions (usually sad). I can usually predict what will happen in his books though. This one had a twist at the end that I did not see coming. Someone even told me that there was a twist and I still didn't see it coming. All in all I think this was one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks book.

Trying to be a beter blogger

2011-01-09T15:10:00.001-08:00

Well we made it through the first week back to our routine. I need to be better at taking pictures but here are a few highlights from our week....

Ephraim- Had a rough time getting back into the swing of things. Had some trouble at school but ended his week with his clip on green (A very good thing). He practiced hard at TaeKwonDo for testing next week (He is hoping for his Orange Belt). Has become very clingy again and trying to sneak in to sleep with mommy at night, not sure what that is about but hopefully it will pass.

Delilah- Has continued to take good care of her birdie, Rose. Made it through to Girl Scout activities without crying (A huge feat for her). Practiced really hard in TaeKwonDo (she is testing for her Blue Belt) she has to complete 2 forms. We finished her Ancestor project :)

Rebekah- Enjoyed Girl Scouts, was told she too would have to do 2 forms for her TaeKwonDo test (we don't know why though), she performed with her TaeKwonDo Demo Team for the YMCA Open House. She did amazing. She continues to try to enjoy reading. Had a hard time getting back into it since she stayed up way to late while on vacation and had a few late night meltdowns.

Audra- Survived her first week back in the classroom after being out of it for quite sometime. Managed to get the kids to where they needed to be on time. Had a great time with her Girl Scouts at the Humane Society and was thoroughly trained on the proper way to sell Girl Scout cookies (yes it is that time again).

Chet- We celebrated Chet's birthday late with my parents by going out to dinner at a super yummy Mexican restaurant in Vista. Continued to work (a lot) and pick up the slack at home for when his crazy wife is over extended.

All in all it was a good week but boy were we glad for the weekend. Thanks for reading about our week!

Good Bye 2010

2011-01-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

2010 seems like a blur. It seems like we are always doing something, going somewhere, or getting ready to go somewhere. Here is a little recap of some of the things we did this year.

Ephraim- Graduated from preschool, started kindergarten (which he loves), tested and earned his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do, become a real class clown, and is just a real joy to have around all the time.

Delilah- Started 2nd grade and is doing so well, earned her yellow, gold, and green belts in Tae Kwon Do, loves Girl Scouts (she is a Brownie), continues to love art and does it as much as she can, loves to read, has such a huge heart that she is now sharing with her very own pet cockatiel Rose. Delilah is such a sweet little girl that just loves to please everyone all the time.

Rebekah- made the difficult decision to give up cheerleading (she suffered a knee injury that will not heal), she earned her gold and green belt in Tae Kwon Do, in keeping with her give 110% attitude she also is in Jr Leadership (TaeKwon Do) where she is learning how to teach the younger kids and spends two days a week teaching, is working on her Bronze award in girl scouts, is doing well in 5th grade, turned the big 1-0. All in all, Rebekah is growing into an amazing young woman who I love to hang out with.

Chet and Audra- We started 2010 having to say good- bye to Chet's uncle Brian. It was very sudden and was very difficult. We still miss him and talk about him all the time. Chet continues to enjoy his job in IT. We are so lucky that he has such a good job with such great benefits. Audra still works at the Preschool and enjoys being around all the little ones. She also started volunteering every Sunday at the Escondido Humane Society (she has had to learn that she can't bring any home with her), she is also enjoying a life outside of cheer, she is the troop leader for Delilah's girl scouts and pretty much just a chauffer for all the kids activities.

2010 was a busy year, here are somethings that we are looking forward to in 2011 (resolutions of sorts)

Ephraim- is going to play baseball for the first time
Delilah- work on staying focused and getting things done (be responsible)
Rebekah- read more (she hates to read)
Audra- Be present in life
Chet- Relax more and enjoy his time at home

Here is to an amazing 2011!

Rebekah is 10!

2010-12-31T20:49:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe that 10 years ago my sweet little baby girl was just that a baby. She was the sweetest, easiest baby in the world. Flash forward a year and a half and Rebekah grew into the coolest toddler. She was so funny and sp independent. She never really needed anything and just loved to hang out. She was the kind of toddler that we could take anywhere with us. Flash forward 10 years and we have ourselves a spunky pre-teen who thinks she in charge of everything. She is so much fun to hang around with. I love going shopping with her, watching movies with her, and just spending time with her. I am still not sure where the time has gone. I can not believe that she is 10 years old already!

For Rebekah's birthday she asked for a surprise. We decided to redo her room. It was a bright pink color before. You can see on her the look on her face. She was so surprised! Chet and I had one night to completely redo her entire room, we decided to never do that again. The look on her face though made it well worth it. Rebekah, I hope you had a very happy birthday! We LOVE you more then you can ever know. We are so lucky to have you as our daughter!

End of another summer

2010-08-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

I love the end of summer because it always ends with me having a week off. I try to take the kids to do all the fun stuff that they miss out on the rest of the summer since I have to work. For my kids that means frequent trips to the pool. Unfortunately for my kids that just did not happen. A week before vacation I tripped walking up the steps to my house and fractured my wrist :( After three doctors (2 saying no cast), the specialist put a pretty green cast on which meant no pool for me, thus no pool for my kiddos :(. We did get to go to the aquarium and the children's pool and see the seals with my mom and they really enjoyed that.
Today school started. I was so excited! I love the routine that the school year brings. The kids all loved school today and had nothing but great things to say. Here are a few pictures from their day.

Mammoth

2010-08-11T16:04:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Mammoth trip!Ephraim hates having his picture taken.

Snowball throwing in June
So excited to see a hole in the ground.
Delilah and daddy looking at the hot springs
Convict Lake
The Fault
A bunch of Catletts in a tree
Delilah playing in the snow
Good Bye Uncle Brian! You will be missed!
Watching the water.
It was a great and somber trip.

My Baby Graduated!

2010-08-04T06:42:00.001-07:00

I can not even believe that my little boy has graduated from preschool. Knowing that he is my last I feel like I have been able to enjoy all his moments and I haven't been in a hurry to get him to grow up. But boy am I ready for this little monkey to go to school now. I have had kids with me at work all these years and it is going to be nice to finally get a little break from my kids (even if I have others kids). I am excited to see what Kindergarten holds for this little guy. The great thing is all three of the kids will be at the same school for one year and they are all really excited about that. Good Luck in Kindergarten Ephraim!!

American Showcase Competition

2010-04-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Rebekah competed against two very talented girls at American Showcase Nationals in Anaheim a few weeks ago. She did amazing and here is the video to prove it. To see how she faired against the fierce competition read the post below. Keeping you all in suspense :)

American Showcase National Champion

2010-04-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah you read that correctly! Our amazingly talented eldest daughter won a National Title all by herself! We are beyond proud of her. The competition was so close that she only won by .05 points. It continually amazes us how blessed we are to be the parents of these incredibly gifted children. We know that they will go so far in life!

Easter

2010-04-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures that we took at Easter. As always we went to my Mom and Lohn's and we had a great time!

COA Champion

2010-04-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last month Rebekah went out and competed on her own yet again. She did amazing. Unfortunately she did not have any competition but still that means a 1st place win. :) She truly loves what she is doing!

Long time no blog

2010-03-14T09:41:00.001-07:00

So we have been incredibly busy and it would seem as if I missed tons of opportunities to blog. We had such an amazing holiday season. Spending time with Family and Friends. We went to Idylwild with my parents for a few days and enjoyed just being together. The girls both started Girl Scouts and all the kids started Tae Kwon Do. My Grandma had some health issues but she seems to be back to her old self again. We also lost a dear member of our family about a week after Christmas. Chet's uncle passed away after being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer just 40 days earlier. It was very quick and very sudden and left all of us just dazed as to what had just happened. Brian was an amazingly talented man and we will miss him.

After much debating if I should try to go back and blog about all those missed opportunitites or just start fresh I decided to just start fresh. I added a video of Delilah's belt test and Rebeka's individual for people to enjoy. I hope life has been treating you all well and we miss seeing everybody.

Rebekah's individual

2010-03-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the video of Rebekah doing her individaul from the other night. I am so proud of her. It takes a lot of guts to go out on that giant floor all by yourself and just have fun. She does it with so much maturity. I am really grateful to her coaches for helping her with something that she truly loves.

Delilah's Belt Test

2010-03-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Recently Delilah started doing TaeKwonDo. We had put Ephraim in and Delilah just could not sit still during the class. She wanted to be out there so badly. We decided to put her in and was amazed at how good she is. She had only been in for about a month when it was time to test and much to our surprise she was included in the testing. Delilah is officially a yellow belt. I think we may have found her true calling. We also decided to put Rebekah in with everything that has happened in our community we felt she needed to have some self defense skills. It is really neat because in her class they are learning how to spar and how to block attacks. She, of course, is already jealous that her sister is a yellow belt and I think Delilah is enjoying being the better of the two :)

I love it when....

2009-11-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

I love it when I am walking across the parking lot with my son and he looks up at me and says "Mommy hold my hand because I am your Son and you are my Mudder and I love you so you have to hold my hand." Melt my heart. I love my son!!

Trick Or Treating

2009-11-01T15:54:00.000-08:00

Ready to head out to trick or treat
The kids all decked out with Sawyer who went trick or treating too.
Ephraim the birthday boy Cowboy.
Delilah was Miley Cyrus. She added the hat and glasses which really made the outfit.
Rebekah the Gothic Bat. She is looking to grown up for mom and dads liking.

All in all it was a great night and they even had to come home once to empty their bags because they were to heavy to carry. This is the first year where they all really enjoyed Halloween. Hope you all had a very Happy Halloween.

Ephraim's Birthday

2009-11-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

This year for Ephraim's birthday we had a Halloween Carnival on the driveway. It was a huge hit. The kids got to play Pin-a-Face on a pumpkin, Pumpkin Bowling, Coin toss in the Fountain of Doom, Bean Bag Toss in the Bogg, Ghoulish Fishing, and The Heads of the Headless Horsemen Ring Toss. They were able to decorate cupcakes and get snacks at the little ghosts refueling station. All in all it was a huge hit. The craziest part is that my baby is now 4 years old. No more babies in the Catlett house, they are all kids now, sniff, sniff.

WAP

2009-11-01T15:41:00.001-08:00

Last weekend BJ took us to Pumpkin days at the Wild Animal Park. It was so much fun. The kids got to trick or treat, do crafts, and play free carnival games. I think it may become a Catlett Family Tradition. Here are a few pictures from that fun day.

It is Cheer time again...

2009-10-31T21:32:00.001-07:00

Last week Rebekah's team had the opportunity to perform at the mall (just for fun). They had so much fun and we had so much fun just hanging out. Here are some videos from last weekend.

This is Rebekah doing her individual. This year she will be competing by herself as well as with the team.

This is Rebekah performing with her team. For those of you who can never pick her out of the crowd, I zoomed in on her the entire time so you can see her.

An Annual Tradition, Bates Nut Farm

2009-10-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we packed up the Catlett Clan and headed to Valley Center to Bates Nut Farm. We go every year to get our pumpkins. It was quite the adventure. Delilah found her pumpkin in the first five minutes, Ephraim had to be convinced to even get a pumpkin, and it took Rebekah an hour to find the perfect one. All in all everyone ended up with the perfect pumpkin. We even let them pick out candy at the country store. It was a great time.

Camping at Lake Jennings

2009-10-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we went camping with my parents to Lake Jennings (in Lakeside). This was a first camping trip with Sawyer and I think she thought it was the bees knees. We just went out for one night and it was a fun filled night. We had a yummy dinner, roasted marshmellows by a fire, played on the play ground, had a yummy breakfast, cleaned up camp, and came home. Thanks to my parents for inviting us out I wish we could have stayed all weekend.

Lets Go a G.N.O.

2009-10-25T08:23:00.001-07:00

Last month the girls and I went up to Anaheim to see Miley Cyrus. They had so much fun. Delilah smiled the entire night. It was great to get to have a stress free night with my two favorite girls. I love that they are getting old enough to get to hang out with. I hope to have many more G.N.O.s with these two girls. Thanks for a great night.

Getting ready to head out all decked out in Hannah Montana Clothes.

We actually ate at Acapulco bu the kids wanted to pose with Bob's Big Boy.

The girls and me. Miley Cyrus on the big screen.

Delilah looked like this the entire night:)

Old Town

2009-10-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

Last month my mom and I decided to take the kids down to old town. I had never been before. It was a great day. They were having a festival for Mexican Independance day and the kids I made corn husk dolls at one of the booths. We went to all sorts of little shops, in one I made my own dipped candle, and then we ate lunch and had fabulous mexican food. All in all it was a great day.

The Catlett Family Grows Again

2009-09-05T19:17:00.001-07:00

Introducing Sawyer! I have been wanting a puppy for a while now and Chet kept saying "No". Maybe because I was asking for a pure rotti and he said it was to much dog. After much thought and consideration I asked about adopting a small breed puppy and he said "Maybe!" So today for fun we went to the Mt. Carmel Petco because the SPCA and the San Diego Humane Society was having a mobile adoption fare. I wanted to get some information and just start looking. I had no intention of getting a puppy today. We walked in and I instantly fell in love with this little coyote. I started asking about her, I told Chet I loved her and he said it was my choice. We went home and I got Ruby and I went back alone to see if they got along and they did. Long story short, Sawyer now has a new home and we love her. She is not what I would have ever chosen for myself. I HATE chihuahuas and Sawyer is a chihuahua terrior mix. I said I would never get a dog that is not a puppy and she is 4 years old. Great thing is she is housebroken, leash trained, nows all the commands and is all around a good dog. I guess pets choose us not the other way around.

I

Happy Birthday to My Daddy!

2009-09-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish my Daddy a very Happy Birthday on this rainy September 1st. Hope you have a great day Dad. We love you!

First Day of School

2009-08-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of... Bekah, 4th grade, Delilah, 1st grade, and Ephraim, Pre-k.. aka... the first day of the last year of preschool. All in all it turned out to be a great day and the kids looked amazing. Here are some highlights from the kids. Ephraim was able to trace his name for the first time (poor third child), Delilah is in the class with almost all of her friends from last year, Rebekah still got to see her friends even though none of them are in her class. Rebekah did come home and have to go take a bubble bath to unwind after a real day (not like a first day where you just get to play but already have a spelling test on Friday kind of real day) at school followed by an hour of homework. I think this is going to be a long 4th grade year.

Latest Delilah Quote

2009-07-23T21:40:00.001-07:00

In regards to cleaning her room, "I just can't take this anymore!"

My kids are growing up and my me time is shrinking

2009-07-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

So Chet and I decided that since Rebekah is going to be in fourth grade ( I will pause for the where does the time go comments) it was time to allow her to stay up later. I have always put the kids to bed at the same time. All of them went to bed at 7. This allowed them to be out of our hair and give Chet and I time alone every night. We love our time together. However, Rebekah complains that she is the only kid who has to go to bed so early (after all the sun is still up). So we decided that the time has come for her to stay up until 9. We moved the little ones bedtimes to 8. While getting them to bed is easier because they are tired at bedtime it has really cut into my time. I have to monitor what we watch together (not many kid friendly shows on after 8) and Chet and I don't have that quiet time to just relax together. I guess the day had to come someday, I just didn't realize 8 1/2 years ago that it would come so soon.

The Latest Delilah Quote

2009-07-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

In regards to having to clean her room, "I just can't take this anymore!" Delilah is such a crack up. She acts like she has the weight of the entire world on her shoulders. It is just to funny.

Can I just say...

2009-07-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that nothing makes my day more then when my wonderful son comes out (when he is supposed to be in bed) to say "Mom I just need a hug!" I love how sweet little boys can be, glad I only have one, but I love how sweet they can be.

Practice makes perfect

2009-07-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video of Rebekah at practice. Practice really does make perfect. In case you can't figure it out ( I am sure you can) Bekah is the tiny one in the blue shirt and the bow in her hair. I LOVE cheer bows!

Is there anything better

2009-07-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better then kids singing to Jesus? I think not. Here is a video of the kids at Vacation Bible School last week. Hope you enjoy it!

Michael Jackson and Delilah

2009-07-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

While I am and always have been a huge Michael Jackson fan I was saddened (not surprised) over his passing. I have DVR'd (is that a word) tons of biographies and interviews in the last few weeks so it was no surprise to Chet when he came home one night and the girls and I were hunkered down watching the 2 hr and 40 min memorial. I decided that it would be fine for the girls to watch with me for a few reasons. 1. I knew it would be well done and tasteful so there would not be anything I didn't want them to see. 2. They are old enough to understand that he passed away. 3. I have used Michael Jackson's life to open the discussion of drug abuse for Rebekah and watching his funeral really drives the message that drugs will kill you home. 4. I think this will be one of those things when we are our parents age when we say "I was fill in the blank when I found out the he had passed." Of course even with all this thought and running it by Chet first nothing ever goes to plan. Those who know me know that I am not an incredibly sensitive person and it takes a lot to upset me beyond being consolable (yes I did get tear-eyed during the memorial but really who didn't) and we joke in our house that Rebekah is just like her mom, Cold-hearted. What I did not take into account, me not being sensitive and all, is just how sensitive Delilah is. She sat and watched all 2 hrs and 40 mins. She asked questions about the performers, Michael Jackson, and his kids. At no point did she get upset, just curious. The memorial ends and we say good night, I send them off to bed, turn and walk away and then it happened. I hear this heartbroken cry, not a sob but a true cry. I run back to the kids bedroom thinking someone was hurt and I could not even believe what I found. Delilah, did I mention how sensitive she is, is balling her eyes out. I ask her what is wrong. Her response "I will never get to see him again?" What? I ask her who she is talking about. "Michael Jackskon (that is how she says it)" Seriously? Delilah cried for 2 hours straight over Michael Jackson, she wrote him a letter, she asks questions about him, she asked for a cd, she knows all of his popular songs, she listens to them everyday. She is a Michael Jackson nut. I learned a very valuable lesson that even though I think something may not bother her I need to try to think like her and not my cold-hearted self because chances are she will be upset. While I have protected her from all the negative topics surronding Michael Jackson he did have so many postive qualities that I would want my kids to take from him, like his wanting to make the world better, giving to countless charities, breaking racial barriers, his values on family. So that is my bad mom story for the week and chances are if you come over to our house you will hear my sweet 6 year old rocking out to Michael Jackson for a long time to come.

Quotes from Delilah

2009-07-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

1.) Said while Miss Delilah was tooting up a storm, "Oops! There goes my engine again."
2.) While crying for no reason I told Delilah she needs to toughen up and just suck it up. Her response "I just don't know how to suck it up mom" All said in between sobs.
3.) Delilah fell down at the movies two weeks ago because she was running to fast. I told her she needed to slow down to be safe. Her response, " I tried telling my legs to slow down but they just didn't listen then I fell down."
4.) Delilah came running in one day crying. When we asked her what was wrong she informed us in her crying voice "MY PET SNAIL RAN AWAY!" More on that later I have pictures.
5.) After getting hurt at child watch I tried to get her to laugh so she would stop crying (Yeah Delilah cries a lot) she told me, "Mom! Don't make me laugh because then I have to open my eye big."

This kid keeps us laughing all the time (even though she is usually crying, does that mean we laugh at her since she isn't laughing, naahh I don't think so) because we just never know what is going to come out of her mouth. Since I haven't updated my blog in a while ( my project for the weekend) I thought I would share some of the funnier (at least we think so) things that our poor neglected middle child says. We sure do love this little girl.

Our Father's Day Camping Weekend

2009-06-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day Chet and I decided to try our hands at camping. We got up early on Saturday morning and made the trek to Idyllwild where we camped at a small little campground called Dark Canyon. The only running water was a small spicket to fill up buckets. The bathrooms consisted of a hole in the ground with a seat on it, with no lights and no where to was hands after. Quite primitive, more then the kids and I are used to. Chet and I were able to set up camp in a little over an hour, with no bickering I might add, and the kids were able to make a new friend, Madison from Oceanside, in that hour. We spent the day just hanging out, watching the kids play (sometimes in the fire but no worries we watched them), going for a walk, and just relaxing and enjoying each others company. All was well until it came to bedtime. I thought we had enough blankets but when I get cold I can not warm myself back up. I spent the night up shivering and plain miserable. By 2 am Chet and I had the two little ones in bed with us. The only one who got any sleep was Bekah. Chet got up at 5:30 am and went looking for more firewood and the Delilah and I got up at about 7:30. Bekah and Ephraim slept in and got up and went to play some more. CHet and I made breakfast and then cleanup camp and we headed back home. All in all it was a great weekend and we can't wait to get out to camp again!

Mommy making breakfast.

Delilah playing with fire!

Rebekah collecting firewood, Ruby catching some rays working on that sun tan, and Ephraim and Daddy setting up the tent (one of my all time favorite pictures!)

I can not even believe it

2009-06-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is a little late but this past Friday Chet and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. I know crazy right? I can not even believe that we have been married for that long let alone that we have been together for over 12 years now! It amazes me how much we have accomplished in our time together. We have three beautiful children (Rebekah 8, Delilah 6, and Ephraim 3), we own our own home, have great jobs, he supported me through college, and most of all we are still the person that we most look forward to seeing at the end of any day. I am by far the luckiest woman in the whole world and here are 10 reasons why:
1.) No matter what crazy idea I come up with Chet always supports me. I tell him I want to make all of our food from scratch and he spends all day Sunday trying to perfect his tortilla and pasta recipe. How cool is that?
2.) He is just plain silly. Even when I am screaming mad he makes me laugh. Then I have to yell at him while I am laughing. He is just so funny. Always has a joke or a funny story. Better yet he laughs at all my jokes.
3.) He is a mans man. He can fix anything that needs fixing and he fixes it well. I love that he is so handy.
4.) I love the fact that every night he serves me dinner. He always serves me first then he serves the kids. I mean really, amazing right!
5.) I love the fact that when I come home from a long day of running errands after working all day he has the kids clean, the laundry going, and the dishes done, well most of the time he is after all only human. I guess I just totally love that we are a team and when one can add a little more to the house we do without question and without complaint.
6.) I love that after 10 years of marriage I still feel like we just got married yesterday. I love the feeling of needing to rush home just to see him. I just can not get enough of my man.
7.) There is nothing better then being in the car after a long drive listening to the radio and your husband belting out Cyndi Lauper. Never cease to amaze me the things he comes up with to make me smile.
8.) I love that Chet is an amazing father.He loves his kids and I am so lucky to have him as my partner in this crazy parenting trip we are on.
9.) Chet is so smart. He has so many random facts in his head and it seems like no matter how random my questions are he always has an answer for me.
10.) Last but certainly not least on my crazy unplanned not well thought out list. I love the fact that Chet tucks me in every night. While he has and always be a night owl and I am not, I have always gone to bed earlier then him. Every night he comes and kisses me goodnight and makes sure I don't need anything. I mean come on, how special am I!
Now you can see that I truly am the most special woman in the entire world, at least to Chet and in my world that is all that really matters!

So...

2009-06-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

about a month ago Chet and I sat down and decided to really take a look at our finances. It seemed that while we thought we were pretty good we were spending a lot of money that we didn't need to. Never any big purchases, just tons of little ones. We decided it was time to take control of our spending. One thing that we have done was to cut our grocery bill. I signed back up for the grocery game and am only buying stuff if it is what we will use. I have also committed to making all of our food. I have been making bread, crackers, granola bars, cookies and Chet has been making tortillas and noodles. It is amazing how much healthier we all feel and how much money we are saving. I think in the month of May we saved about $150 on our grocery bill. I started buying all of my baking supplies in bulk so that has helped as well. It really is neat to see how little we really have to buy each week. Usually we will buy some milk, eggs, cheese, meat and produce and that is it. My kids are also really enjoying getting to help in the kitchen as our Sundays have turned into "Baking Days" and at one point or another everyone of us in the kitchen helping out. It has been a great way to bring us all together at the beginning of a usually busy week. All in all we are loving our new healthy life style, with more money. Did I mention that our new diet is also helping us all lose weight:) What a great bonus:)

Last year of my 20's

2009-05-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Since it was the last year I will be in my twenty's I decided to be reckless:) and pull the kiddos out of school and go to Knott"s Berry Farm. It was a lot of fun and I didn't take any pictures. Chet did video all day so I am sure he will put together one of his famous videos so look for that sometime. I did learn an important lesson. What you ask? Always ride a ride before taking your 8 year old on it. I hadn't been since all the new roller coasters opened and decided to take Rebekah on Ghost Rider, it is a huge wooden roller coaster. I thought it would be mild like Collases at Magic Mountain but boy was I wrong. It is a crazy ride that accelerates over ever hill. She got off of that and said "Mom don't ever make me go on that again!" I tried later in the day to get her on Boomerang and when we were next to get on she started to cry so we had to get out of line. I will admit I was so mad at her but I am glad that she won't do something that she doesn't want to. Anyways tons of fun for all the kids I would recommend it for anyone looking for a cheap amusement park for the entire family. Here is the only picture we took and it is hillarious!!!!

A little late... Easter Pics

2009-05-23T19:29:00.001-07:00

Easter was tons of fun I just totally forgot to post some pictures. Here are a few pictures from an impromptu photo op we had in my mom's backyard.

Delilah's Birthday Party

2009-05-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

For Delilah's birthday we decided to have her party at the Y. We live there the rest of the year so why should her birthday be any different. It certainly was a lot of fun though. She invited a few friends from her class and had the "Best Birthday Ever!" in Delilah's words. Here are a few pictures.

Happy 6th Birthday

2009-04-27T16:48:00.001-07:00

Delilah on the day she was born

Delilah now

Well I am not really sure where the time is going since I don't feel any older but six years ago tomorrow we were at the hospital awaiting the arrival of daughter number two. The first thing I remember thinking when they showed me my sweet little girl was that is not my baby that is a one month old and she is mexican (no offense anyone). Looking down at me with those big black eyes of hers was the sweetest, almost 9 pounds, baby girl. She melted my heart that day and she still does. But boy oh boy we did not know what we were in for with her. She is and always has been the polar opposite of her sister. Where Bekah was outgoing, she is shy, when Bekah is logical, Delilah is in another world, one is a morning person the other a night person. One is right handed the other is left handed. One is neat and one is not. I think you get my point. Delilah has been the happy balance to our, not so little, family and everyday I am amazed at what comes out of her mouth. For example, the other day she walked into my work and asked everyone "Don't I look amazing!" So in honor of my cooky little six year old here are six reasons (there are more) why I am absolutely head over heals in love with this little girl....
1) She know what she wants and she will stop at nothing until she gets it.
2) Her unique style sense. It is all hers and I know that she knows that she always looks amazing.
3) Her stories. This girl can tell you a story that is so believable that when you ask her when did that happen and she tells you never your jaw will drop.
4) Her love for learning. She can never learn to much. She loves school and everything about it.
5) Her creativity. The fact that she turned her sheets into confetti and still to this day does not see anything wrong with that. Or the fact that she gave herself a haircut, twice, and still thinks that she was making it better.
6) The fact that she just walked outside and she yelled "I LOVE YOU DAD" This kid is the most loving kid around.
Happy Birthday Delilah! We love you!

My little weekend project

2009-04-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

So for the last 2 1/2 years I have wanted to paint my bedroom. My goal in our house is to not have any white walls left. I have painted just about every other major room and the kids bedrooms. I could never decide on what colors to paint my room because I had never found a comforter that I could live with. For Valentines day Chet took me shopping and I found a room in a bag at Macys that was $500. It was on clearance so Chet bought it for me. He ended up spending only like $170. Great deal I know. Then came the problem of picking the colors. Our house is really open and Chet likes everything to match. From his spot on the bed he can see the living room, dining room, and kitchen. All three of these rooms are different colors. I finally picked colors and we had a free weekend, kind of amazing, and got to painting. It only took us the one day and we absolutely love it. Here is a picture of the finished product. We are both so happy and have been spending tons of time just relaxing in our new haven.

Great Camping Weekend

2009-03-31T20:46:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we were invited to Agua Caliente State Park with my parents. Mema and Pepa were so great to do everything we just showed up with our van, the dog, and the little man (the girls went out with them earlier). Chet and I slept in the van on an air mattress, it was actually quite comfortable. We just had so much fun hiking, playing at the park, climbing, and of course eating. Here are some pictures for you to see all the fun. By the way we had so much fun don't be surprised to see more camping adventures this summer:) Thank you so much Mema and Pepa for such a great memorable weekend.

COA Nationals

2009-03-31T20:24:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Rebekah had a National competition for COA at UC Irvine. It was a long stressful weekend, with scoring done differently then usual, and favorites being played by the judges. The highlight of the weekend was that Grandma was finally feeling up to coming to an entire cheer weekend. Rebekah did freakin' amazing. She was a little tumbling fool, she was a great little performer, and she just had fun. At the end of the weekend our kids took last place, 5th and I have got to tell you they were so happy because they gave it there all and with everything that happened with the judging they didn't stand a chance. I am so glad that Rebekah is on a team that is so strong emotionally and that everyone has such a great sense of self and great confidence in themselves. What great role models for my kid to look up to.

Latest Cheer Competition

2009-03-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest video of Rebekah. I tried to zoom in on her so that you can see her. Sorry about the DS' waving around, I had the excited little sisters in front of me:) Enjoy!!!

Muscle Shot

2009-03-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Rebekah has been working out so much that she has quite the set of guns on her. Her coach, Alex and her thought it would be fun to take a picture showing off her guns, unfortunately she wasn't wearing a tank top so it didn't show her arms off but the picture is still cute so I thought you might like to see it.

Our vegetable garden

2009-03-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago Chet and I decided to landscape our yard finally. Well actually the HOA yelled at us so that was what prompted the change. We decided that we want edible plants in the yard for the dog and the little ones. I created a vegetable garden that has all the makings for salsa, Chet planted a nectarine and a peach tree, then the kids and I planted green beans and pumpkins. We have tons more to do in the yard but at least the side is done:)

More Vegas Cheer

2009-02-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

Chet has been up to it again. He took the 40 plus minutes of video that we had of our trip in Vegas and made another one of his little videos. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I am going to try to point out Bekah to you during the routine.
1.) When there are a bunch of girls in the air the first time there are three little ones standing in the center. Bekah is the one on the right tumbling, she then tumbles to the right.
2.) When they are girls in the air second time and you see two little girls standing on either side in the front waiting, Bekah is the one on the right, she tumbles back.
3.) During the tumbling routine, Bekah is the one in the middle on the left side tumbling back.
4.) Then there are a bunch of girls in the air, again, Bekah is the one in the second row on the far left with the perfect heel stretch.
5.) The ending, Bekah is on the Right side in the air with her leg being held.
During the dancing parts Bekah is in the back in the middle right. It is hard to find her if you don't know where she is.
Hope this helps some of you who have been asking find her.

Vegas Baby

2009-02-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

So last weekend Chet, Bekah, and I made a trip to Vegas for Bekah to compete with her team at the Jamz Nationals. It was a lot of fun. Bekah enjoyed the freedom she was granted by running around our hotel with the other kids by herself, no worries mom's I could hear her from our balcony and we were not at a casino. Bekah would text me to let me know who's room she was in, she thought that was the coolest thing ever. This was just about the busiest weekend ever. Friday night she had practice and then dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe then it was time to curl her hair and off to bed. Saturday, Bekah had team breakfast, make-up, warm-ups, competing, bowling and cheering on her team mates who did an individual. She was in bed at 10. Sunday, up at 7 for team breakfast, make-up, a three hour limo ride around Vegas, competing, dinner, and then awards. After cheer I took her out with some friends to see Vegas (at 10 at night), in bed at midnight, then we drove home at 7:30 in the morning. Bekah did great in her routine, she dropped her stunt and was devestated but we are all so proud of her. The team took home third place out of 5. There was some tough competiton and we are looking forward to the last two competitions of the season. And mom and dad are looking forward to the season to be over to take a break for a few months before it starts all over again. Here are some pictures of our fun for you to enjoy.

Delilah is obsessed

2009-02-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

The other day Delilah found a penny on the floor of our van. She picked it up and very proudly said "Mommy do you know who is on the penny because I do." I asked her to please tell me who is on the penny. She said "Mom it is BBaarrak OO'Bama" (I tried to write it out how she says it) She is so obsessed with the president. She watches him on TV, she has a bookmark with his picture and she talks about him all the time. It is the funniest thing ever. Thought I would share that with all of you.

Oops I forgot the link

2009-02-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPERYKM_9gw

Las Vegas

2009-02-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the video from Rebekah's competition in Vegas this past weekend. Check it out.

So much for a lazy Sunday

2009-02-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

It never fails, the one day we have to rest in a long week always seems like there ends up being so much to do. Today we decided to get Rebekah a new dresser. Her old one was just to small and her clothes were always spilling out. We woke upi early and drove down to Ikea to pick up a new one. THen it was off to Lowes to get paint for my bedroom and a new shed. Then home again to put together the dresser. I decided to go through Ephraim's clothes and then clean his room. Then I went through Bekah's clothes, then Delilah's and cleaned her room. All while doing massive amounts of laundry. Now I have a half hour and I am spending it telling you all about it before we are off to a three hour cheer practice. Oh well at least it is a three day weekend and I can rest tomorrow, more like clean my room and bathroom while still doing laundry. I guess there will be another weekend where I can be lazy.

Great Product

2009-02-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

At Costco yesterday we found these tortillas called Flat Out. They come in a three pack that each have 6 of these thick whole wheat tortillas. It said on the wrapper that they make great pizzas so we thought we would try it. We put on some marinera sauce (we tried to find the one with the least amount of sugar in it) and then we put on some low fat mozzerella cheese. The kids put on pepperoni and pineapple on theirs. Chet and I put some fresh sliced tomato and fresh basil, mushrooms and just a few olives. We baked them on a pizza stone at 375 for about 8 minutes. They turned out so good, the kids cleaned their plates. The great thing was that the tortilla only had 100 calories for an entire thing so you could eat the whole thing be really full and not feel guilty. Even better the kids ate a helathier version of one of their favorites and they thought it was as good as ordering dominos but they had more fun making it. Just thought I pass this one to all of you:)

Special K weans on

2009-01-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

So as ove I am of eating cereal I am still doing really well. I started lifting weights this week along with my cardio workouts. I have found that I LOVE going to the gym. Putting on my IPOD and just rocking out and getting some alone and me time is more then I could ask for. I find myself excited to go and at times it the highlight of my day. I guess I am just a glutton for punishment. Anyways, in the last 3 1/2 weeks I have lost 10 whole pounds. I think this is a great speed. I feel great, I have way more energy and I think I am a nicer person to be around (at least at home). I am thinking of swithing from the Special K though because it has been brought to my attention that if I am going to be lifting weight sand working out so much I need more protein in my diet. I haven't decided what I want to do yet I have to think about it. So for the the journey continues.

Special K: Week 3

2009-01-20T06:49:00.000-08:00

So this diet thing is still very slow going. I was hoping to see bigger and better results faster but I guess I am going to have to work real hard for it. This last week I was able to loose about 3.5 pounds. I am able to push myself harder and farther at the gym everyday, though I still feel lost in there. I will keep at it to reach my goal but it is so frustrating when things don't work out the way you want. I did learn a very valuable lesson this week. If I go to the gym when I am angry then I will push myself to far and I will really pay for it the next day. I did leave the gym feeling much better though. That is all for now.

Update: The Dreaded Week 2

2009-01-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

So as you know I have been doing the Special K diet for about two weeks now and what they say in the biggest loser about week two stands true in my case. Last week went great from Monday to Saturday I had lost 6 pounds. I know amazing right. I was so excited. I joined a gym on Saturday and started working out on Monday doing only cardio, because I don't really know what else to do. I jumped on the scale on Tuesday to find that I gained 3.7 pounds back. I was crushed. My clothes are all fitting so much better all ready so I am chalking that up to I am bloated, ladies you get it, guys sorry TMI. SO I jumped back on the scale and I had lost another pound but nothing today. I am hoping to see a big drop next week because I have spent everyday this week killing myself working out. I am determined. I will check in again next week.

Special K

2009-01-08T06:54:00.001-08:00

So I have decided to try the special K diet. It is pretty easy though I am getting very tired of cereal. I started it on Monday at the same time I gave up sugar and soda. I did my big weigh in this morning and I have already lost 4 pounds. I am super excited. Chet and I are joining the gym next week so then I should see even more results. I don't really have a goal, I just want to be healthier. I will keep you all up to date on my progress.

Rebekah stunting at the Y with Alex

2009-01-05T20:49:00.000-08:00

Rebekah has been stunting with Alex here is something that they had been working on. Enjoy!

Catcing Up.

2009-01-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Okay so I posted a lot of new blogs and I tried to put them in order of when they happened. We have just been so busy this holiday season. Hope you enjoy reading what the Crazy Catlett Clan is up to. Seems like we are always up to something

Happy Birthday

2009-01-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to the world's most amazing husband. Here's to you Chet, Happy 28th Birthday, I love you!!!!

Our Grand Canyon Trip

2009-01-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

We were so lucky that my Dad and Janien took us to the Grand Canyon over Christmas Break. Chet, the kids, and I had never been there and it was one place that we really wanted to go. We were able to drive up all in one car. On the way up we continued our tradition of eating at the pancake store (as Delilah calls it), better known as the Wagon Wheel. My dad and I have been eating there since I was a tiny girl and it is fun to be able to share that with my kids. We stopped at the one in Needles, CA. We then proceeded on to Snow Town (better known as Williams, AZ) where we stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel. My kids had never seen snow and they are now ready to give up all they know to move. Rebekah was able to make a snowman and perfect the perfect snow ball. Later we road the train (Rails to the Rim) to The Great Hole (or the Grand Canyon) where we took a bus tour. Rebekah thought that it looked fake, I think she meant it looks very 2 dimensional like a painting. It is just so amazing to see and we hope someday to hike down and take in the view from the bottom. It was such an amazing trip. Thank you so much to my Dad and Janien for the wonderful trip.

Christmas Round 5

2009-01-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

For our final Christmas celebration we had Chet's mom's family over. We always draw names for the adults so we only have to buy for one person. All the other adults get stuff for the kids but Chet and I are the only ones on this side of the family that have kids. It was a lot of fun to get to spend time with so much family in such a relaxing way.

Christmas Round 4

2009-01-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

Later on Christmas day we headed over to my Mom's and Lohn's where we celebrated another Christmas with them my brother and my grandma. It was a very relaxing, quiet day filled with lots of love and laughter. Rebekah was very excited to receive a purple Ipod nano. All in all another great day.

Christmas Round 3

2008-12-31T12:19:00.000-08:00

For Christmas round 3 we spent the morning at home just us. Santa visted and he even left a candy cane trail back o the kids bedroom. I guess he really does check to see if we are sleeping. We video taped all morning so I didn't get any pictures of the kids opening presents. It was great realxing morning.

Christmas Round 2

2008-12-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve night we always go to the Ferrara's house. I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures. It is always a lot of fun. We go whether or not Alf and Erikka are in town. Luckily ALF did come home for Christmas this year. We were able to spend a lot of time with them and their new baby Ayden. Ayden is 8 months old now and is just about the happiest baby on Earth. The Ferraras always have a seafood feast for Christmas Eve. We had deep fried shrimp, scallons, mushroom soup, homemade sausage, and a big salad. I think we all gained about 5 pounds during that dinner. And no dinner is complete at the Ferraras unless the story of the first time I meet them is told. Christmas Eve 12 years ago when I was dating ALF. Who would have thought that 12 years later we would still be spending Christmas Eve together.

Christmas Round 1

2008-12-31T12:05:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve morning we get together with my Dad and Janien. The last few years we have done a big breakfast at our house. It is really a lot of fun. We don't have people over very often so it is a lot of fun to cook yummy food and just get to hang out. Here are some pictures from our day. It is a tradition for Chet to wear the cute Santa Apron. I think it is just way to cute.
My Dad and Rebekah waiting for breakfast. I am bummed I didn't get any pictures of Janien, but she was here as well.
Chet makes homemade funnel cakes for breakfast every year. They are so yummy.
Morning star sausage for my vegetarian brother.
Cody and Ephraim just hanging out.

Daddy and Bekah Time

2008-12-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

For Rebekah's Birthday she wanted something that she could build. I found her a dueling Rollercoaster from Kinex. It took her and daddy 6 days to put it together. (Rebekah has little free time so they had to steal a little time together everyday).

Here is the final project. They decided to display it by the Christmas tree. Afterwards Delilah wanted to build with daddy as well so they made a Ferris Wheel. Here they are all displayed.

Rebekah can be such a crack up

2008-12-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready to go the the Grand Canyon next weekend and we have absolutely nothing for anybody to wear for the 15 degree weather they are having right now. So yesterday Rebekah and I were driving to cheer practice and discussing what all we need to buy for the trip. Rebekah named off the usual "I need new mittens, some snow boots, and a jacket but we should wait until after CHristmas to get my mittens because I usually get some in my stocking." I told her those were great ideas but we should probably get some water proof pants and some long underwear. Her reply "Mom I don't need any long underwear, I have this pair of Hello Kitty underwear in the back of my drawer that are just huge and I think those will be enough to keep me warm." I about died laughing. She also motioned that she could pull them up to her chest and they would keep her stomach warm. Thought I would share:)

Photos from our first competition

2008-12-14T20:53:00.001-08:00

Rebekah was very excited that the first competition of the season fell on her 8th birthday. She was hoping that would bring her team good luck. We had to get up at 6 in the morning and drive to San Clemente to meet at a Mcdonalds to do make-up. From there we drove to the Anaheim Convention Center where they competed at a USA Competition. Her team was in the large Co-ed Open Show Level 3. For those new to cheer, like me that is a very competitive level, it is one of the harder levels because level 4s will drop down and compete.

It took three people to do Rebekah's make-up for the competition. They pretty much look like hookers when they are done. Right before they go on they done the Bright Red lipstick as well.Here is the finished look. It is very strange to see my sweet little girl looking like that. I guess I will finally learn how to do make-up:) All in all it was a great day. Rebekah's team took 2nd place, out of three teams. Overall they did very well. Rebekah was exhausted afterwards and we had a team lunch to go to. After the lunch we got in the car to drive home. Rebekah passed out not long after we hit the freeway and slept the entire way home. We have 1 month off now before we have another full weekend of competitions and exhibitions.

A

Cheer Hair and lots of curlers

2008-12-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

In order to be an allstar cheerleader on NCE Allstar team it requires a lot of curlers and a lot of hair spray. Rebekah went through a brand new bottle of aquanet hairspray in 2 days. I could not even believe it. Here are some pictures of the Holiday Hair Party. The team gets together the night before the first competition and do there hair and then they do a secret santa gift exchange. We had a lot of fun.
Rebekah post getting her curlers done.
Rebekah loves hanging out with the big boys.
Trampoline fun. It is funny to watch great tumblers play on a trampoline. They flip without fear.

My baby girl is 8. Where does the time even go?

2008-12-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that 8 years ago today I was impatiently awaiting the arrival of my very special little girl Rebekah Lynn. She was born on Wednesday, December 13, 2000 weighing 6 lbs. 15 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. She was a perfect baby that slept through the night and was just so easy going. I was spoiled.

Flash forward 8 years and I have a hard headed little diva who constantly keeps me on my toes and tries my patience every minute of everyday. The great thing is that I would not change one thing about her. So in her honor here are 8 reasons why I love my little 8 year old Diva.
1.) Rebekah is so caring. 99% of the time she is helping her younger siblings without being asked. When we are out she will ask us if people she sees upset are ok and if we should do anything for them.
2) She loves the Lord. She is constantly begging to go to Church since we are horrible and choose to sleep in on Sundays. She understands the true meaning of the holidays and is so strong in her faith.
3.) She is creative. She is constantly drawing, coloring, cutting, gluing some new creation for us. When she is not doing that she is writing stories or songs.
4.) She is athletic. She loves to work out and eat healthier then most kids. She runs a mile everyday before school and works out for cheer 4 days a week. I hope that carries over to adulthood.
5.) She loves to learn. She is constantly reading or asking questions. She absolutely loves school and science. We can take her anywhere and she will ask about the history of the place and she remembers everything she learns.
6.) She is a fun person to hang out with. I love taking her with me shopping when it is just the two of us. We crank up the stereo and sing. We laugh, we tell stories. It is just a great time. That is the one thing I love about her being older, she makes a great friend.
7.) She is funny and loves to laugh. She is funny without even trying. If she tries then she is not so funny. She tells funny jokes and she is just fun to be around. She is easy to get along with.
8.) I love the fact that she is hard headed and will never give in to anyone. She is strong and does not waiver.
This is for you my favorite first born daughter, I LOVE YOU NOW AND FOREVER:)

The big sleepover.

2008-12-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

I will blog about it later but here is a little video that Chet put together from the party.

Behavior and Chores

2008-11-26T20:10:00.001-08:00

We have been having a lot of problem with the girls behavior lately. So I decided to type up a contract for the girls to read and sign stating that they will try to be a good family member. I also implemented a behavior and chore chart. The chores are simple and they don't get anything for doing them, it is their job in our family to help out. There are also behaviors that they must follow and if they do not follow them then they get a red square for the day. If they get two red squares in a week for a behavior then they don't get to come to family movie night. We implemented this last week and it has made a huge improvement. I have not had a fight with Rebekah all week and Delilah got a red square for a chore today and she fell apart because she already had a red square for a behavior and she knew that 2 means no movie. I had to explain the difference so I guess we are really getting throught o them and the great thing is we don't have to raise our voices at all. I love it.

First Friday Family Movie Night

2008-11-26T20:06:00.001-08:00

Chet wanted to start a Friday Night Family Movie Night. I was so stoked that he intitiated it. He picked out a movie and went out and got it. We watched Wall-E and it was such a big hit. We had a simple family dinner that they got to eat in the living room. I also borrowed an idea from Becky's blog, thank you so much for the idea, and I hid candy in their popcorn. They thought that was just the coolest thing ever. Chet was so excited about family movie night that he wanted to have it early, tonight, and I had to tell him no. He already has the movie picked out for Friday but it is a surprise...shhh!

The Official Allstar Cherleader

2008-11-26T20:02:00.001-08:00

Rebekah was very excited when she got her official North County Elite Allstar uniform. Now she feels like a real part of the team. Though the uniform is a little small for her dads liking I think she looks adorable. She also had to try out her heel stretch to make sure that the uniform moves properly. Her first competition is on her birthday, December 13th. Wish her lots of luck.

SPHS Cheer night

2008-11-26T19:53:00.001-08:00

Rebekah had so much fun cheering at the San Pasqual vs. Cougars game. San Pasqual lost hard 14 to 45 so that made me happy. The girls were so great with the little ones. They stunted her, let her use there ladders, included them in the push ups and even made them princesses. Rebekah's little friends dad is the head coach so she was there also. Rebekah is definitly a little dive in her picture. There sash's say SPHS Cheer Class of 2018. It was very cute. A big thank you to Cory for letting Rebekah be a JR. Cheerleader for the night.

The Chemo Model

2008-11-13T21:31:00.001-08:00

For everything that has gone wrong my mom still looks like a true rock star. Here is a reassuring picture for all of you who are so worried about her. She really does rock her wig:) Love you Mom!!

I am still a cougar through and through even though.....

2008-11-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

Rebekah was offered the opportunity to be a junior chearleader at the San Pasqual game on Friday. She is throughly excited and she does look great in gold and blue, this is also where she will be going to high school if we don't move by then. To make matters even better she will be rooting on the fighting Eagles as they play there cross town rival the Escondido Cougars. Oh the drama. I do hope Escondido wins, which they will because I hear SP's team is not the great this year. I will post more pictures after the big night.

GREAT NEWS

2008-11-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

I am amzed that in this economy I can report that my husband has found a job and he started yesterday. We even still have a chunk of severence pay left. He is so happy, he is making better money, with better benefits, doing a job that he really does enjoy. He is doing IT for a company called Quantum Design in San Diego. The only bummer is that he has to commute but I am just glad he is working again that I can't even complain about that. Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers:)

Ephraim Turns 3

2008-10-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Ephraim's third birthday. I can not believe three years ago he was just coming into this world. It has been so much fun being his mom and getting to know him. He is such a sweet, loving, funny, clever little boy. I can not imagine my life without him. For his birthday we had a halloween theme, since that is his birthday. I decided to make his cake. Here is the cake 15 hours of work later. I thought I should use those cake decorating classes that I spent so much time in. Enjoy the pictures.

I've had enough lemonade for awhile

2008-10-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

I always seem to be coming on here and checking what everyone else is up to telling myself that I am just to busy to post when in reality if I just did it then it would be done. It is kind of like atering a plant, the plant is there, I walk past it but if doesn't yell at me chances are it is not going to get watered. I feel like my life has been so busy and crazy lately, like an actual roller coaster. I guess you could say it all started in April. I finished school and contemplated looking for a new job, I decided not to. Then my mom had an abnormal mamogram. After months of worrying and praying for the best she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then in August she had a masectomy and had her left breast removed. My mom is like a rock though and she came out of surgery making one boob jokes. Then in September she started Chemotherapy. At this same time Chet's mom was diagnosed with skin cancer in enough areas that they put her on a chemotherapy cream. I know seriously both of our moms at once. Go figure. While Chet's mom is done with hers now, thankfully, my mom still is going head strong. She is losing her hair and is really digging finding the cutest wigs that she can find. Then to make life even more intresting my husband has lost his job. It has been a month now and he has had interviews he has not found anything yet. Even still I am smiling. I figure that while life is seriously serving my family lemons right now we are definitley enjoying the lemonade. I am just so happy that we have our family to lean on, cry with, and laugh with. But seriously I think I have had just about enough lemonade to last me a while.

My Wonderful Husband

2008-08-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

So last night I had had it. I have been on vacation all week and had high hopes of cleaning out and reorganizing my home. I also wanted to relax. I decided to take yesterday off from cleaning and just relax. I picked the Rebekah up early from the Y and we went to the school to find the name of their teachers, got Rebekah's supply list and went shopping. We had a nice lunch and then came home. Slowly and steadily the kids managed to ruin my house. Any progress I had made over the last 5 days they managed to undo and then add more mess on top of things. On the way out the door to yet another cheer/gymanstics class I found a place where Delilah had poured concentrated kool-aid on my carpet and covered it with a blanket and let it dry. I lost it. I walked out the door to go to class and then came home and just blew my gasket. I didn't allow the girls to go to bed until there rooms were perfectly clean and ranted and raved until they were finished. Now to get to my amazing husband. I had finally put all the kids to bed and I said in passing that I wanted chocolate pie. He immediately left and went to Cocos, who was out of pie, and sweet talked the manager into making me a chocolate cream pie. He brought it home and it was still soft because it hadn't been refrigerated but it was so good. If that is not enough he sneakily called in sick last night to work for today, went out and rented a carpet cleaner and helped me clean the house and shampooed the carpets. No the kool-aid did not come out but I am a happy mommy with a wonderful husband and a really clean house, just don't look in my room:) Honey I love you!

Grown- Up Date Night

2008-08-03T08:09:00.001-07:00

Last night was the first night away from the kids that Chet and I have had for a long time. It seems like most times we get a sitter it is because we have to go somewhere and I just needed a break from my three little monkeys. Chet's parents agreed to watch the kiddos from 5-8 pm last night, not a lot of time to really do much. We decided to order in Applebees and rent a movie. We had the best time. We got to eat a big yummy dinner in the quiet, while we watched Vantage Point without having to pause it to get the kids something. When that was over we still had an hour left so Chet decided he wanted to go to Lowes. So we went and wandered around getting some great ideas for our house. Not a very exciting date but something I would picture a grown-up doing. I will admit it is still strange to me to be home by 9 on a Saturday night. Anywhoo I thought I would share that.

Shaving

2008-07-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

So today at work we had a long conversation at work about girls and shaving legs. When is it appropriate to have them start shaving and what do you do when a 9 year old sneaks and shaves anyways, one of Rebekah's friends did that after being told no. I was sure that if any of my girls decided that they new best it would surely be Rebekah in the next few years. Can kids ever fool you. Tonight I was letting the girls bath one at a time in my oval tub with a good book and bubbles. My husband snuck in to check on Delilah and he saw her stuff something under the bubbles. He reached in and pulled up, you guess it mommy's razor. My sweet innocent little 5 year old decided to shave her legs. She now has zebra stripes going up her legs. It was the funniest thing. She was crying because she didn't get to finish. I had to tell her she has to wait until she is older. Which then sparked the when will I be old enough question from Rebekah. I told her to ask me later because I have no idea when it is appropriate to start shaving. I said Jr. High what do you think? Anyways that is my funny story for today.

Crazy

2008-07-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

I feel like such a bad blogger lately. I have been so busy I think I may have met myself going. Rebekah is going to cheer five days a week, which I have to take her. I have also taken up the art of cake decorating so I go to class once a week. I love it though and I feel like I am getting pretty good. I will try to post pictures soon. I can not even believe that summer is going to be over in another month. Seriously where does the time go. I can't even believe I am going to have 2 kids in school now. CrAzY!! Okay that is all for my quick update I will try to be a better blogger.

Chris Sligh

2008-07-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

For the Fourth of July, my mom, my three kids, and I flew to Nashville to hang out with Chris Sligh who was on season 6 of American Idol. He has signed with a Christian Label and his new CD is doing amazing. Long story short, my mom is a huge fan and has been blogging on his website for over a year. Despite being made fun of by all of us she joined the picnic planning committee to plan a fan club picnic in honor of Chris Sligh. Recently one of the girls who they have become friends with on the blog, not in person, passed away from leukemia. She was an amazing Christian and truly and inspiration to all who face hard times in their lives. They decided to raise money at the picnic for St. Judes in her honor. So I agreed to travel all the way across the country to meet these "fro patro" bloggers. There were people from 10 different states in attendance. I was very skeptical but pleasantly surprised. I met some of the nicest people who I will consider friends for many years to come. It was amazing how one Christian artist could attract so many wonderful fans. Chris Sligh is an amazing person. He really takes the time to get to know his fans. He remembered my girls by name from the time we met him at the American Idol tour. He even took the time to come off of the stage while trying to clean up to scoop up Delilah and give her a huge hug because she wanted to say good-bye. Chris also tries to give back, in addition to raising $1225 for St. Judes (which doesn't seem like a lot but there was only about 50 people there and the goal was $1000) he was able to get quite a few children adopted through Compassion. I hope other artists take the time to see what an amazing person Chris is and follow suit. I know the world could really use more good role models. Oh yeah, and he loves his wife, whole heartedly and you can't get better then a good Christian man who truly loves his wife.

Random

2008-07-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

I apologize because I have been a bad blogger lately, I will try to be better. This is just a totally random post because I am bored. I have had an incredibly bad few weeks that has come to a head in the last few days so today when I came home from work I decided to melt into the internet, such a wonderful, mindless escape. My husband had put on one of those tv music channels, usually he plays his music which I hate but today he put on the 90's. It is so amazing the power of music. All of a sudden I am surrounded by sounds of my teenage years, which really was an amazing time, and in no time I was feeling all the same emotions I used to feel when listening to those songs way back when. How weird it still is to me to say way back when. I will admit an Ace of Base song came on, I am not ashamed to admit that I liked them now, and I just wanted to get up and sing and dance around the room. I did finally give in when I'm just a girl by No Doubt came on. I am in such a better place now then when I was when I came home. I just LOVE music and the affect it has on our soul. No wonder it talks about the Joyous Noise in the Bible so much. Hope you all have a wonderful music filled weekend.

Kids say the darndest things

2008-06-07T10:33:00.001-07:00

The other day Rebekah, Delilah, and I were at the Ymca waiting for their classes to start. There was a couple there also waiting with their son for his class to start. Rebekah was just looking at them. This was a very white couple and they had a very black son. He was just about the cutest little thing. After they walked away Rebekah asked me panicked, "Mommy, how will I know if I am going to have a white baby or a brown baby?" I about fell over laughing. I told her that white people have white babies and black people have black babies. She then blurts out for all to here "OH! I get it he is adopted!" Poor kid was really worried that she would not know what color her baby was until it was born. The things in this world that kids don't understand are so funny sometimes.

Congratulations Delilah

2008-06-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that it is already time for Delilah to go to kindergarten. On Friday she officially graduated from preschool. It was a cute ceremony. The kids sang three songs and then they were presented with their diplomas. She is so excited to go to big school like her sister. She just seems so much littler then her sister did at this age.