San Diego at Its Finest...

The first thing you might notice is how severely out of order these pictures are. Sorry. I don't know how to move them around once I upload them...and since I can only upload 5 at a time...they turn out a bit crazy. The second thing you are sure to notice is the "arm shots" that document all of our adventures. Jason is not a fan of asking others to take pictures, so I was ok doing the arm shot.

Now on the our great 3 days away...we had a wonderful time, of course. Our room was great...better than we expected. I will tell you as you go along in the pictures what we were doing...

This is the morning as we were leaving. Not sure why we look so tired! We slept until 9:20am our 2nd and 3rd mornings there :-) Heaven!
We were both missing the boys and looking forward to seeing them. They are clutching our gifts from "abroad"
Yum
Gavin and Diego
We are in front of the Natural History Museum. We went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. How amazing to see these manuscripts that are 2000 years old!
This is Friday - in Old Town. We are in front of the Old Town Mexican Cafe - a place my family and i went for lunch/dinner MANY times as I was growing up in SD. I have many fond memories at this restaurant.
This lady was giving tours of Old Town and I wanted a picture with her...
First day - our room...kind of like a cottage with a back door that opened up to Mission Bay. It was wonderful!
This is out our back door - across this little street is the beach (mission bay). We agreed it would be a great place to come back with the kids. Its very "family friendly"

Thursday morning...off to enjoy the day
When we were dating, Jason went on a trip to Japan, and upon returning home, came down to SD to see me. We went to the Living Room coffee shop in La Jolla and shared dessert, coffee and his pictures. Its great coffee and we had breakfast there on Thursday morning
This is in La Jolla - where a bunch of Sea Lions have made the area their home

Our dead sea scrolls tickets...out of order...

We will do this "getaway" again...and not in 4 years! I can't explain how nice it was to have no time commitments, no problems waiting 1 1/2 hours for a table at PF Changs one night, sleeping in, just relaxing and enjoying having fun together as we navigated our way from one place to another. An encouragement to those of you parents (or just couples - really) out there who happen to read this...take time to do this - for your marriage! Life gets so busy and its easy to let other things become more important. Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and remember why you love being with your spouse!

We're Back!

Just wanted to say we're home and hanging out with the boys...I'll post details and pictures later. We had a fantastic, restful, relaxing time! Thanks to our parents who made it happen :-)

Painters in Training

Painter boys
Eating outside tonight
Love corn...and the sweater that just keeps giving and giving...I swear he'll never give it up!
Got another "oh you have a boy and a girl" comment today...better cut the hair! My mom is going to do it while they are here the next few days.

Tonight we ate dinner outside. It was nice and a great meal especially because of the salmon Jason grilled. He also grilled Pork chops and we had some other stuff, but the salmon was amazing!

Today we have been grocery shopping, cleaning up the house and just getting everything ready for visitors. That's because tomorrow J and I go to San Diego for 3 days! (My parents are staying a few nights and Jason's are staying a night) We are super excited! I'm even more excited because we are staying in a great "resort." The whole hotel situation is a LONG story...lets just say I spend many hours searching and just couldn't commit. FINALLY - this morning (yes we're going tomorrow) Jason took matters into his own hands and took over the search. We were going to stay downtown, but everything is super expensive there - even the lower end hotels. So we decided instead to stay on Shelter Island - a few miles from Downtown - right on the water. AND Jason called and asked for a Govt. rate and its almost$100 cheaper a night!!!!!!!!!!!! The pictures look really great and even if its not as good as it looks...it'll be fun. We are really looking forward to our time together to relax and just hang out alone for more than a few hours.

Today I'm thankful :

*How well our boys play together

*To be able to get away for a few days

*No worrying on my part since I know the boys are in great hands while we are away

*Spontaneous kisses and hugs from Ezekiel

*My run this weekend - ran with my mom, a friend from church - Kira, Jason, and the boys in the stroller...Jason pushed almost the whole time and we ended up running 8 miles. I felt great and was so thankful Jason (and mom) pushed the boys!

*The pumpkin muffins Sally made me - I love pumpkin!!! They were a delicious breakfast for us all!

Good - night!!

picasso?? you might think so......

Here are some additions to what jas and I call our "romantic paradise..."

Those are empty picture frames for the moment...
wedding pictures
A true artist we never knew lives among us...
Jason painted this masterpiece to go in our bedroom today. Its perfect and I was super impressed at his creativity....

I LOVE VACATION!

Not really going anywhere...although we are going to go away for a few days next week - just Jason and I...but I love Jason being around all day. Its so great. The last few days we have been working on some stuff in the house. We decided to move furniture around, decorate our room (we haven't done much with it ever), update photos AND ---it only took (almost) 7 years...but we now have 3 wedding pictures up in our room! YAHOO! I've always wanted to have some up and I have no idea why we never just did it! I love it!
My other project before baby #3 is born is to finish....or....start a photo book for Ezekiel. I have 3 books of details and pictures of Gavin of his first 2 years and NONE of Ezekiel. I have all the pictures and the supplies, I just need to get down to business. I have several months to do it, so I'm not worried.
Funny side note - Ezekiel has taken to saying "whoa dude" all the time. I don't know where he got it - maybe from Jason? It sounds really funny when he says it. And he says it a lot. He also bent over to get something the other night and said "oh GOSH" as if he was 88 years old. What a character that guy is.

A verbose update...

Making (and eating)brownies for our friend
Ez enjoying a smoothie
Shima got highlights (or "a" highlight)

Our kids are SUCH dancers! Whenever music comes on they are moving. I'm pretty sure they got that from me, since Jason doesn't really dance...but who knows--maybe he is a closet dancer.

We are enjoying Jason being around all the time since he is on vacation. Its so fun for him to not have to get up super early and to be able to go to breakfast, run on the boardwalk and just enjoy our days together.

I had my first day of MOPS yesterday. I'm not going to lie - I was expecting the worst. Let me explain. My last experience was at a different church where I didn't feel like I connected with anyone(besides the girls I already knew) and didn't really fit in with the other women. The topics seemed lame to me...and maybe I am just being judgemental, but it wasn't really stuff that I was interested in. SO...at our new church, I decided to give it a try. This church is different. The people seem so much more authentic and real. I was pleasantly surprised that it was the same in MOPS. Our pastor spoke and it was amazing. We had great conversation that dealt with the difficulties of both getting out of the house and living lives that are about loving Jesus and people. One thing Pastor Lou said that really hit me (among many other points) is that as our children get older, we should not try and control them, but rather get to their hearts - cultivate their inner compass. This was very interesting to me because Gavin is at the age where he definitely has discovered his inner will and wants to do things his own way a lot of the time. Its hard for me to figure out when to make him follow my way...or just do it his own way and not try and control him. We meet every other Wed, so on the off weeks, we go to the park for lunch. I'm looking forward to getting to know may of these women better.

One last update...we went to the Dr. Tuesday (all 4 of us!) for my OB check-up. Everything is great...and we got another quick look at the baby since the ultrasound was in the room. This was especially exciting to Gavin! As she was doing the ultrasound, our Dr. looked at me and asked if we want to know what we are having - I quickly said NO! Jason gave me a disgruntled look..."get over it" is the look I shot back at him. We have our "big" ultrasound in a about a month and that will be fun too...to see all the parts, etc.

I think I've written enough...Gavin is in the bathroom "watching" Ez as he bathes (he just yelled to me "Ez's doing good in here, Mom")...he told me not to worry, because he is going to wash Ez, too. Great. I have a mothers helper! I wonder if he can change diapers yet??? :-)

bye.

The Line

You know that imaginary line that you should not cross? Certain comments that might pop into your head, but get the STOP! before they cross your lips?? The sign in my head has always been a green light. As I have matured and gotten older, I think I have gotten better about at least YIELDing before I speak, thus creating fewer embarrassing moments for both myself and those I'm conversing with. However, the other night at work, I definitely crossed it. The moment I spoke I regretted what had come out. It was Friday night and my co-workers seemed to be shocked that I am "showing" at all. Most of them have no kids and those that do must forget that it happens more quickly on #2 and 3...etc. So I decided not to get offended and enjoy that yes, I have a little belly (and no I have not been drinking too many beers on my days off...). One lady in particular had already commented several times about my appearance and I was internally fighting annoyance with her. Her last comment: she looked at me (with several people around) and said " I just can't believe how big your belly is" which I replied (without thinking for even 1 second) "I can't believe how big your belly is." Ummmm....she is overweight. And really does have a big belly. SHOOOOOOOOTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I really say that???????????? She laughed and walked away and I was busy the rest of the night so I didn't get to say anything else to her. I told Jason about it in the morning and he couldn't' believe I had said that. I KNEW I had to apologize. So on Saturday night in a quiet moment when we were alone in a room, I apologized and told her it just came out without me even thinking...she was totally fine and not offended at all...but it could have been bad. Really bad. Lesson learned. I hope.

Fun weekend

Last Friday we went to the beach with my parents and Daniel and Bethany, who were in town for the weekend. It was super windy, but the kids had so much fun anyways!

Ready to hit the water
I love this...not sure what Bethany did to this picture, but I think its so cool
Gavin could not have been more excited to see his uncle Daniel (and aunt bethany!!)...he wanted to be with Daniel the whole time they were around
I'm laughing...Ezekiel just climbed all over Jason and I trying to get closer to us
Ez wanted to go in the water - correction - he wanted me to go in the water while holding him. It was fun and the water was pretty warm!

The weekend was also great because I got to see my dear friend Kristen, whom I hadn't see since her wedding in April! I sometimes forget how much I miss her - until I see her again and it just feels so "normal" to be hanging out...having breakfast, playing yahtzee. It was so weird to say good-bye and know she was going back to WA....maybe I still haven't accepted the move? We had a great time together with significant conversations, laughter, honest truths (me: should I cut my hair, Kris??), and just great quality time. Gavin was thrilled to be with Kristen and Ezekiel warmed up too! She took all the pictures of our time, so when I get some pictures, I'll post them!

Today I went to the park for a get together with all the women doing MOPS at our church. I was a little wary (that word is for you, Kris - yes it is a word) to do MOPS because I have done it before at another church and it just wasn't my style. I couldn't get into the crafts and I didn't feel like the "talks" were anything I could relate to. However, at this church, it is different and I am excited about that. I'm excited to meet and connect with more women at the church in my life stage. The only thing I'm worried about is Ezekiel staying in the class for 2 1/2 hours. He hasn't been doing so well at church, so, we'll see.

After the park, my mom and I went down to the beach area and had lunch and watched the kids play while we chatted. It was so great. Just a relaxing time in a beautiful area. And on a side note, I had an egg salad sandwich, which I haven't eaten for at least 10 years and it was FANTASTIC! Maybe I was just starving!! :-) Have a great day!!

Record breaking-3rd-Post in a Day...

So today I feel like I'm a different mom. I have a different perspective. I know why. After seeing those videos of Judson and thinking about his family --especially from a mother's perspective, I decided that I wanted to be a better mom. I will always screw up, lose my cool, get impatient, and say the wrong thing at one time or another. But there are certain things I want to do more with my boys. The reality of such a heartbreaking situation makes you face your own life and think about what you want to do different. Many times in life this happens to us...I know this is one short time. But I want to be more patient, play with the boys with things they love (like playdoh), play imaginary games with them (which they also love) and pay more specific attention to them. Often I am distracted during the day by how I might be feeling, or emails, or cleaning. I've had a reminder that my days are for me to be mommy to 2 amazing boys because these days will come and go quickly before I know it and I will yearn for this time again. I want to have few regrets.

Unbearable sadness

This is from an email I received:

"This is a call for prayer for the Levasheff Family. Christina Levasheff was my RD when I was a freshman at Biola and Judson her son needs prayer. Here's the information on Judson. About 2 months ago, Judson Levasheff (2 1/2 yr old little guy), was diagnosed with Krabbe (crab-bay) disease. It's a rare disease that doctors claim will quickly take the life of Jud. This disease started with him losing his balance (he can't walk now), slurring his speech, taking his vision, and now is starting to affect his swallowing. My understanding is that it will move through his body and eventually shut everything down causing him to be in a vegetative state and then ultimately death. Drake and Christina (his parents) have faith and belief that God can and will heal Judson and it is amazing. Christina has been journaling their daily journey and please take time to read it as it will endear you to this family and beseech you to pray for their precious boy. Christina posted a video clip of Jud before this vicious disease and then posted a video of him in his current state…take time to view them"

BEFORE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MueKg-bLp9w

CURRENT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvZEsPzTQQo

For updates on Judson and his family go to:
www.myspace.com/levasheff
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/judson

Jason and I read this email and watched these videos last night and wept. We went to bed sad as we thought about watching a child (we automatically imagine our own) go from a healthy, normal 2 1/2 year old to a child that can no longer use his arms or stand. This sadness weighs heavy on me and I know nothing else to do other than pray for him and his family. The Levasheff family strongly believes that God is going to heal Judson and prays for that specifically. Please pray for this little boy and his family.

When are you starting school??

This question is asked to Gavin at least once a day, if not more. I have gone back and forth in my mind on the issue of starting preschool with Gavin this year. I have had a lot of people ask me if he is starting - which is only natural because he is indeed at the age that many kids go to preschool. Here are my thoughts: Gavin is 4 and we have decided not to start him in kindergarten until he is 6. SO...he will have a year of preschool next year. Does he really need 2 years of preschool? No, I don't believe so. Actually I don't personally believe he needs any - but I know he would love it immensely! He has his whole life to be in school, why start him now if I don't have to? I love having him at home. Yes, there are hard days and yes it will be even harder at times with the 3rd baby here...but that's ok to me. I would rather enjoy him at home this year than have him gone. I'm sure that 2 days a week would provide some nice reprieve and allow Ezekiel and I some time together...but I also know that we can have that time next year too. I plan on teaching Gavin this year in a very unstructured way. I have been looking online at different activities to teach different things and I am going to do my own thing with him. I remember growing up, I was always the older kid in school because my parents put me in school at 6...I think that is part of the reason that my younger brother, Daniel, and i were so close - because we spent so much time playing together that year before I started school. I see the development of that relationship between Gavin and Ezekiel and I love it. I love that they play together so much and love each other so much.
This post was more for me to organize my thoughts...so there you go. Now you see whats going on in my head :-)

Friday held a great day for the boys and for me! My mom took them to Adventure City with her sister (my aunt) Christie and Christie's granddaughter, Elle. The boys had a fabulous day with her - as you can see in the pictures it was SUPER HOT so they were sweating all day. They both slept good last night! As for me...I got the chance to clean the house(doesn't sound fun, but its necessary and so much easier to do when the boys are elsewhere), shop at Costco alone (rarity) and enjoy a relaxing lunch reading a good book.

Cute of my mom!
They are an ambulance looking for sick people to bring to me in the ER :-)
This is a goat that was a big bully. Gavin was laughing as he was telling me the story. Ez was knocked over by the goat and when I asked him about it...he grabbed me and said NO!
Sweaty faces


My aunt Christie being crazy with the kids
Silly Nannie and her cute boys

Today we went to a family reunion that happens every year on my mom's side of the family. We all gather in a clubhouse in Sunset Beach and eat lunch and swim. The kids were in the water for about 2 hours - it was so hot out! They had a blast and it was fun to see relatives we rarely see. However, they have not napped (only 20 minutes for Ez!) so I'm going to get them into the bath and to bed before 7pm.

Are we Crazy?

This most likely is not a surprise to you...as most of our family and friends are already aware...but yes - Prince Baby #3 is on the way. The excitement of taking the test was soon dimmed to a shadow as nausea and fatigue set in at about week 5. That is also when the question: "are we crazy?" entered my mind. Of course not, lots of people have 3 kids - or even more! The reality added with my current state had me sitting in minor panic for several weeks.

But alas...I am entering "the good times" as 2nd trimester is just around the corner. I'll be 12 weeks on Friday and I've been feeling much better these last few days. I'm relieved to be through with all that, but now the reality of my changing body is hitting me.

There are several things that will be different with this pregnancy. First, I decided I am not going to let the ignorant musings of strangers affect me so much. So what if they thing I'm big for 3 months...or if they think I'm carrying twins...or am going "to pop" (a most abhorred thing to say, if you ask me). The truth is: I have big babies. My tummy gets big. Really big. Its ok that I get big. I don't stay that way. I'm going to relish this time. Its probably my last time being pregnant!
Another difference we are not going to find out the sex. That's right: We're waiting to find out! I'm super excited about this. For awhile, I was thinking we could do something fun - like a "Finding out Party" but I have decided that I really want to experience finding out in the delivery room. Jason is...less than thrilled at this idea, but he has decided to support me (but honestly, he didn't have much choice). :-)
Oh...and one more thing - for those of you who don't see me all the time...are you wondering if I am "showing" yet? Just last week I was telling Kristen - no, not really. Just my little tummy pooch sticking out a tiny bit more than normal. This week I would say...yeah, I guess so. My tummy is poking out there. Still in all my regular clothes and I think I will be for...at least another 2 or 3 weeks (hopefully)...but - as I told a girl at work last night who said: "you're already showing? WOW!" I said - this is my 3rd kid and everything already knows where to go...gone are the days of the 1st pregnancy where people don't know you're pregnant for 4 months...oh wait - I never had those days :-) Even with Gavin I was in maternity clothes quite early. Oh well.
I'm sure there is more to say, but for now, I'm gonna sign off...
Today I'm thankful for:
*Walking into a clean house this morning after a BUSY night at work - made my day!
*Jason took my car to get washed - its never been so clean
*The swiffer wet-jet we bought at Target. We used to have one and haven't for awhile and I love it! Low maintenance way to keep the floor clean daily.
*The kid's excitement to see me after I've been at work
*My new tinted moisturizer from Sephora with a gift card...so free to me!
*Cooler nights
*The way Ez says thank you: tank eww. makes me smile every time I hear it
*OH - my favorite father-in-law gave me a Blackberry recently and I had to do a few things to get it usable...(unlocked, battery, etc) but I have it now and I LOVE IT! I get to email from anywhere!! :-) I can listen to the radio, text, go online, look at my calendar...its super cool. Thanks Dan!
Good night! More update on the fam later!

First Dates

They elicit anxiety, hope and anticipation. First dates can be horrible - as in the experience I had with a blind date where the guy had such bad BO, I called it off early. Or they can be fun and leave a fluttering knot with thoughts of a possible future phone call or second date. I did think my days of first dates were over and for the most part, I'm really glad about that. I do wish that I could cause some one's tummy to flutter again...or be a mysterious person to be discovered again...but I have traded that for something you can never get from 100 first dates. Someone who knows me as well as I know myself, if not better. Someone who loves me even though he knows me beyond the mystery...someone who is my other half. Sure, after almost 9 years of being together (including dating time) we don't get butterflies when we see each other, but I still watch him when he doesn't know it and think I married the most handsome guy around.
So you're wondering why I was talking about first dates? Well, I had one of a different kind on Wednesday night. We were not nervous, but excited for sure! We had plenty to talk about and laughed the whole time. My date was sweet, held my hand and had great manners. He is the greatest 4-year-old I know :-) Yeah, Gavin and I went on a date. We painted pottery at Color Me Mine, ate dinner at Ruby's on the pier and he had ice cream after that. We had a great time and I loved every second of it. I think he did too! I lost the pictures of that night through some computer glitch, but I'll take pictures of our masterpieces when we pick them up!

Happy Birthday Jason!

this expression is funny to me - he's trying to glare
look at this form...
gavin's got some talent too!
birthday boy
i love this of these 3...they look so cute!

Yesterday we spent the day celebrating Jason! We went bowling (at Gavin's suggestion - but Jason likes it too!) and out to dinner at Pomodoro. Then Jason and I enjoyed Coldstone Ice cream while watching 300. It was a great day and I think Jason felt celebrated. Jason has always been someone who can make me laugh when I'm grumpy - or anytime really. He is thoughtful, logical, patient, understanding and loving. We have grown a lot in our years together and I enjoy him more now than when I first met him. He is a great father who LOVES his boys with all his heart and only wants the best for them.

In other news...Ezekiel's lip has healed well and is almost back to normal. Jason enjoyed playing in a Biola Alumni soccer game Saturday night and I would like to say I enjoyed watching, but really all I did was chase Ez around the whole night.

Off we go to run..

Not really surprised...

Jason and I have been waiting for this day to happen. We have both mentioned it several times and have wondered at our good fortune so far. Our little Ezekiel is the typical no-fear-climb-and-jump-kid. Its was only a matter of time until we visited an ER for some type of injury for him. Today was the day.
Don't panic. He's absolutely fine.
At 8am today I was laying in Gavin's bed watching him dance to his VBS music and Ezekiel was on the bed with me. He was walking from the foot of the bed up to the head and jumped the last bit and was planning on hitting his head on the pillow, but instead hit his mouth on the headboard. My first fear was that his lower teeth were knocked out because there was a lot of bleeding and at first I couldn't' see them. But the teeth are fine. He did, however, knock his lower teeth clear through his lip....what we like to call a through-and-through laceration. I debated on going to the ER, since the bleeding had stopped and the outside lac looked fine. However, there was a nasty lac (cut for those who don't' work in the ER :)) on the inside of his lip so I thought it was worth checking to see if he needed a few stitches. Basically the Dr said there was more risk of infection stitching it up, so nothing was done. I was glad...it would have been quite an ordeal to stitch him (IV, sedation, several hours in ER...). He is bothered by it, but nothing horrible. Tylenol is helping and he is just needing some extra TLC. This is his second ER visit, but the first was a breathing issue in Seattle...so first "injury" visit. Hopefully not too many more to come??
I tried to get a picture of his inner lip to show you, but he doesn't want me to touch it...no kidding, right??
I promise some pics from the party soon. I don't' have the energy to accomplish that right now!

Party Day

The fun thing about having a party for your child is seeing them delight in every aspect from decoration to the arrivals of the guests. The difficult part is the responsibility of having a party...not just assimilating all the necessary items - food, cutlery, drinks, plates, etc. I always feel a sense of obligation to ensure that each guest is enjoying themselves. I try and move from one group of friends to another to chat for a bit and introduce those who are strangers. Today we had Gavin's birthday party and it was a lot of fun. We had friends from church, our 2 families, our "Biola" friends and some friends from Mariners. It was great - but I was constantly surveying the atmosphere to make sure the guests looked happy...over analyzing?? Probably.
My 2 goals were accomplished: 1) Don't run out of food (always a bummer at a party!) and 2) A fun time for Gavin. Yes. We had great food, good dessert and even a special ladybug cupcake for each kid thanks to my insanely creative mom. And now, I'm exhausted! Good night. I'll post pictures soon!

Catching up!

Oh man - what a great few days we've had. Jason has been off since Tuesday and its been fabulous to hang out as a family. Tuesday, our baby...Gavin turned 4!! We can hardly believe its already been 4 years. We let him choose the events of the day so we had apple pancakes for breakfast at the Pancake House, went bowling, and then had pizza for dinner at BJ's and walked around downtown HB. Wouldn't be a birthday without dessert, right? We headed home and Gavin enjoyed a few presents and we all enjoyed some ice cream cake. It was a full day and I'm pretty sure Gavin loved it. After opening his gifts Gavin looked at Jason and I and said "guys, I really appreciate all the stuff you got me." How old are you??

I know I've previously described my favorite birthday tradition - going around and telling the person what we like about them...well as we sat down to have cake, Gavin asked me if we were going to celebrate now. I said "we've been celebrating all day!" Gavin said "no, mom, I mean are you guys going to tell me what you like about me now??"OF COURSE! We were going to anyhow but thought it was so sweet he remembered and wanted to hear that. Who wouldn't, really?? So we told Gavin that we love his sense of humor, his questions, his sweet nature, the way he loves his brother, his affection for all the people in his life, his excitement for Jesus, his singing and dancing, his generosity and his desire to do right...and many more things. When we would pause he would say " what else, guys?"

Wed and Thurs we spent just hanging out, cleaning house and working out. Its been great. Jason has to work a little bit today, but should be home in a few hours...the kids are going to Becky's and I think we are going to go to lunch together or catch a movie before hitting Costco for food for Gavin's party tomorrow.

What we have been up too...

I have a plethora of information as to what we have been up to!

On Friday evening, we took the kids to the OC Fair and had a great time. We saw some animals, Jason and Gavin each played a game (gavin won stuffed animals for himself and Ez!), rode a few rides (nothing crazy!) and had some treats! It was a blast!

Gavin on the ride by himself. Ez had a fit when he realized he wasn't going (too short)
Gavin fed the goats and sheep hay and wasn't a bit scared
Enjoying a churro - one of several treats from the evening
The only picture of Jas and I...notice Gav smiling in the background
Ez is very nervous about the loud MOOOOOOO coming from the cows


Ez fed the sheep with much coaxing
As did Gavin.
Now we move on to one morning we were all home and just laying around the house relaxing and we started taking silly pictures...

I like this smile Ez does
Cute boys
Silly faces
Happy with his coffee!

Today is my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday to the most wonderful Mom ever! My mom is a great woman! She is loving, thoughtful, a good listener, seeks to know God better everyday, is quick to admit her wrongs, is patient, wise, a prayer warrior, forgiving, nurturing, and basically AMAZING! My mom is umm...50-something :-) and is a brand new nurse! I am so proud of her. She excelled in school and is working in a busy ER where she is continually challenged, but is learning about herself and how to face those challenges. She encourages me whenever I need it and always has time for me. I love that I live so close that I even got to have lunch with her today on her lunch break at work.

And speaking of living close to my parents...today is a day I needed my Daddy and he was there for me...

So I'm driving to church, and all of a sudden the car starts shaking and I have a hard time driving straight. There is a loud noise assaulting my ears and I am panicking...people are pointing at me...did I mention I was on the freeway? Yes, folks, I blew out a tire on the freeway. I pulled over onto an area not even wide enough to be a shoulder and first called Jason. He advised that I try and get off the freeway, but I was nervous I wouldn't be able to go fast enough to safely exit...I was near tears and didn't know what to do. I'm sure Jason felt helpless as he was at work 25 miles away...I quickly got off the phone with Jason and called my Dad. If anyone would know what to do, it would be Dad. I prayed he wasn't in church yet, as it was 9:24am and Dad is ALWAYS on time to church (starts at 9:30) and usually early. By the grace of God, he was late today and quickly came to where I was. He called AAA on his way and we were met with a tow-truck less than 10 minutes later. The mechanic changed the tire on the freeway(made me very nervous!) and we were off to church 45 minutes late...I am SO thankful my dad was around to help me today. I really needed him. After church, we drove to a few tire places and found somewhere to get 2 new tires (they couldn't patch it)...we had lunch with mom and basically spent the day hanging out with my dad...until almost 5pm! It was a fun day for the boys and I and it made me so thankful that my dad is nearby and that he always has time for me too.

Why I love Costco

So tonight after dinner we decided to return our printer we bought 12-31-05. It is a scanner/copier as well, but those options are not available because it has been putting a huge black line in anything copied/scanned. We walk into Costco with our receipt, printer and cables. No box. No manuals.
We walked out with almost $200 cash. (ok...actually $160 because we bought a few food items...)
I love Costco.
One more thing I love right now - New York Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream by Dryers Light. OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its SO GOOD!!!
Ok, I'll add just one more - the steaks Jason grilled tonight and the baked potatoes we had (thank you carrie) --such a good dinner. Salad too - can't forget the veggies. I can't remember the last time I had a baked potato. Yum.
Ok...I'm done. Good night!