Last Entry for 2009

I can't believe that we are in the last hours of 2009. This year went by so fast! I think the biggest event of the year was that the boys started Kindergarten. We are so blessed to have such an awesome teacher and a great group of classmates to play with. As an end of the year gift, the boys and I made glitter ornaments for the class along with a Christmas tree box filled with candy. The boys passed out their gifts to the class after their end of the year play which was Goldilocks and the 3 Bears.

The boys teacher wanted them to each learn a line from the story and say it during the play. Well, that didn't happen. She was ok with that but she was hoping that they would sing along during certain parts of the story. Uh, that didn't happen either. The boys "performance" included Grant putting his hands in the back of his pants and letting the entire audience see him do this. Um, Nolan putting his hands in the front of his pants and letting the entire audience see him do this. Oh yeah, and then he also decided to fall backwards out of his chair! Jack didn't do anything as embarrassing as his other brothers but he kept talking to Nolan during the play. That's my boys!

We had fun decorating the house and enjoying all that is Christmas. I took the boys to Disneyland to see all of the Christmas decorations and enjoy the parade. I also took them to visit Santa and poor Santa....I think he was a bit overwhelmed with 3 boys coming at him! They primarily wanted remote control race cars for Christmas. Santa came through with that wish!

Our family went to my mom's house for Christmas Eve. It was the first time since my dad passed that we celebrated Christmas at their house. I could feel my dad's presence at the table as we ate dinner. Earlier in the week the boys and I went to the cemetery to bring flowers to honor and remember my dad during this time of year. As we were getting back into my van Grant said "Mom, I'll be right back." I watched him as he went over to my dad's grave and kissed one of the roses in the flower bunch we brought. When he came back he said "I miss Grandpa." Me too Grant, me too.

Christmas day started EARLY as in 3am early. Nope, we couldn't get the boys back to bed so we decided to give in and open presents. As they get older, it is so much fun to see their reactions to things. Christmas Eve they were concerned that Santa wouldn't be able to fit down the chimney. They opened up the fireplace and looked into it to check it out. We assured them that yes, Santa would be able to fit down the chimney. One of the great traditions we started was to jingle bells outside their bedroom window before they go to bed. The reaction to hearing the "sleigh bells" is priceless. They can't close their eyes fast enough because they think Santa is on top of our house! After spending a few hours playing with toys, we headed to Curtis' parents house. The boys got to play with some of their cousins and meet their new cousin Riley. We ended the day with Grandma's pumpkin pie. It was a long day but a very fun day too.

The day after Christmas we took the boys to the park and set up the soccer net and brought Grant's new soccer ball, football and basketball. He seems to be the most interested in sports and more athletic than his brothers. It was fun playing a bit of soccer and throwing the football around. I think they were more interested in playing on the playground than throwing or kicking a ball around. O'well....

Before this entry runs into 2010, I will end with a fun fishing trip that Curtis took the boys on. We have been fishing several times but have never actually caught a fish. Well Curtis and his friend Andy took the boys fishing. And guess what.....they each caught a fish!!!! Nolan wasn't too keen on holding his fish but Grant and Jack were ok with it.

Enjoy some of the pictures from the last month. I wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Random Act of Kindness Warms My Heart

Today after school I took the boys to see Santa. The place I took them also runs a small train around the center of the outdoor mall. Of course they were really excited to ride the train as well as seeing Santa. We hit the train station first. The boys were jumping around and yelling "TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN!!!" So I went in the little kiosk to buy them their tickets. As I am reaching in my wallet, this woman behind me says "Your boys are so adorable and I would love to buy them a train ride" and then sets down $10 on the counter. I was in shock but so touched that someone would do this for my boys. I told her she didn't have to do that but she insisted. I thanked her with tears in my eyes and she walked away. I looked for her the rest of the afternoon but I never did see her again.

God must have known that I needed this encounter today. It was like an angel sent from heaven. It restored a bit of faith in the human spirit for me. It's the little things in life that go so far. So to this lady who was so kind and generous to think of my boys, thank you. You made my day.

The Elf on the Shelf

I heard of this book last year at Christmastime and I was never able to find it. This year I was determined to get it for the boys. The story is about an elf who is sent down from the North Pole by Santa. The elf arrives at your house and is there to watch and observe your child's behavior and then report back to Santa at night. The elf sits in one place during the day and must not be touched or his magic might go. The next morning the elf arrives back at the house from the North Pole and sits in a different place than the previous day. The elf is also there for the kids to tell him what they want for Christmas so that the elf can tell Santa at night. It is also very important that your child names the elf too! The book and the elf come together in a very cute box set.

The elf showed up at our house Monday night. He was sat on a shelf in the hallway during the day but the boys never saw him. So after we got done decorating, I was "surprised" at what I found on the shelf. The boys were speechless when they saw him. Curtis brought the book and the elf over to the couch and read them the book. At first I wasn't sure if they were on board with the idea but it got more real to them after they heard the story. They named him Mr. Elf. As they were headed to bed, each of them went over to Mr. Elf, now on the mantel, to tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Heck, even Curtis and I took a turn talking to Mr. Elf! So that night after they went to bed, Mr. Elf found a new shelf to sit on.

So for the next 22 nights, Mr. Elf will find his way around our house watching and reporting back to Santa Clause!

Pomona Drag Races

Curtis and I took the boys to their first NHRA drag race on Friday. It was a very emotional day for me because my dad and I went to the drags every year before he got sick. The last time I had been to the drags was February 12, 2006, 4 days before my dad passed away. My dad and I went together that day and had a fantastic time. We had not been in many years because of his health but for some reason, he decided to go with me that year. Well now I know why. It was the last time we would ever go to the drags together.

As we drove into the parking lot and I saw the stands, I could feel my dad's presence there. I could sense the happiness that he would have seeing Curtis and I bringing the boys to the track for the first time. He would have LOVED to be there with us, and he was in a way. I looked up into the sky and just gave him a big smile.

The boys were so excited to go to the races. They weren't only excited to go but also to cheer on Fast Jack Beckman. Several months ago Jack Beckman and his family moved into a house down the street. Jack drives a funny car for the NHRA. We visited his pit but he wasn't there at the time we stopped by. We found ourselves sitting in the same spot that my dad and I had sat when we went to the races back in 2006. I love watching the races. I always wanted to be Shirley Muldowney when I was little. Who knows, maybe someday the boys will race themselves! A mom can dream......NASCAR, NHRA, whatever.

I'll always remember this day and hopefully so will the boys.

Fall Fun!!!

We have definitely been enjoying ourselves getting ready for Halloween this year. This time next week I am sure Curtis and I will be hounded every second to go trick or treating. Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I know one of the reasons is because it was my dad's favorite time of the year. He loved to hand out candy to the kids and see all of the Halloween costumes. I remember the first time we went trick or treating, we went to my parents house and visited a couple neighbors of theirs. It is one of the fondest memories I have of the boys and my dad together.

Curtis and I took the boys to a pumpkin patch close to the house to pick out some pumpkins. When we were kids, I think we just went down to the corner store and got a pumpkin for less than 5 bucks. These days every holiday is an event! Not only was it a pumpkin patch but it also had huge slides, mazes, bungees, tractor rides, face painting, etc....I'll remember next year to set some savings aside for all this fun! Of course the boys wanted to ride the tractors, over and over and over again. They also rode the ATV's which were attached to the larger ATV that was pulling them along. They slid down the fire truck slide and went through the rat race maze. At the end, we picked some pumpkins and headed home.

Of course the boys wanted to carve the pumpkins right when we got home. The boys each picked a large pumpkin and then they picked a pumpkin for Curtis and I. They also got small pumpkins from their pumpkin patch field trip from school so we had a total of 8 pumpkins to carve. Yes, 8. Needless to say, I was drowning in pumpkin goop for the rest of the evening. We had a lot of fun carving the pumpkins. The boys wanted me to carve a spider on mine and Curtis carved a grumpy face on his. The boys wanted good old fashioned pumpkin faces on their big pumpkins. On the smaller pumpkins, Jack wanted a car, Grant wanted a bat and Nolan wanted a kitty. At the end of the night we lit them all up in the garage and ooh and aaahhhh'd over them.

Friday is the boys Halloween party at school. There will be a costume parade and then some yummy treats after that. I am definitely looking forward to seeing all the kids dressed up. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

A Bit Too Close For Comfort

Fire! Fire! Where is the fire?! That was the big question at noon yesterday. I went to pick up the boys from school and once I got out of my car, I immediately smelled smoke. I turned around to face the parking lot and saw that a hill near the golf course was on fire. There was a big plume of smoke but from where I was standing I couldn't tell whether or not it was near our house. I called my neighbor who is a fire fighter and asked him if he saw the fire. Yep, he saw it but it wasn't too close to our house. It was on the north side of the golf course and we are on the south side of the golf course. Whew! (or so I thought)

I got the boys in the car and was telling them where I thought the fire was. I said "The fire is over by the park I take you to". The next thing I heard was Grant yelling "Our park is on fire!" I chuckled and assured him that the park wasn't on fire. We drove over to the other side of the golf course to see where it was and there was a lot of smoke. I couldn't see any fire because at that time it was on the other side of the hill. We went home and turned the tv on and I kept my eyes glued out the window to our backyard. At times it seemed that it was going to be put out quickly but just as I said that to myself, I would see another big black plume of smoke. I was on the phone with my friend who was on the phone with her husband (the fire fighter) getting the details of what was going on. I was assured that it wasn't likely that the fire would get to our house but it was pretty scary seeing flames shooting up off the hill behind your house! Watching the fire was pretty nerve racking but it was also pretty awesome to watch the fire fighting efforts. These planes and helicopters flying so low that you think you can touch them. It was amazing.

The fire had initially started on the north side of the golf course and then moved it's way to the south side where we live. There are two hills we can see from our backyard and both of them were on fire. The wind kept pushing the fire south and last I heard, no homes or structures where burned. After dinner we walked up to the end of the cul-de-sac to see what was going on up there. There were 2 fire trucks, a sheriff and 2 Channel 7 news vans covering the fire. We watched the helicopters dropping water on the hot spots on the hill. It was pretty cool!

So that was the excitement for the day! Here are some pictures and 2 videos from the day.

The Big Day - Kindergarten!

Excited does not adequately describe how the boys felt about going to Kindergarten. Saturday I broke out their new backpacks and school supplies that they would need for school. Ever since then, they would ask about every hour if they were going to school yet. Today could have not gotten here fast enough for them. But for me, I wanted to hold onto every last minute before we took this big step into Kindergarten. Last night they kept asking me "Are you going to miss us very much mom?" Yep, I sure will.

We got into their classroom this morning and they got a name tag to wear for this first week of school. It will be interesting to see next week if the teacher can tell who is who without their name tags. The teacher and I talked about their differences and maybe how to tell them apart but most people who ask me that still get them wrong. Today was a minimum day at school. It was only supposed to be an hour but it lasted about 2 hours. The parents talked to the teacher while the kids went outside and played on the playground a bit. Then the kids came back in the room and took some time to explore the room. They had several projects to make and also just play in different learning areas of the classroom. As we were getting in the car to leave Jack asked "Mom, why did you stay with us?" Ouch! I had talked to them about how mom's and dad's don't stay at school but that they will be with their teacher during the day. I guess they didn't want me there today :( Like I said, they are ready, I'm not.

Did you know that in Kindergarten you get homework?! It seems kind of crazy but it is true. We get a packet every Monday and that packet needs to be done by the end of the week. So this afternoon we broke out the homework. That was just weird to say the least. My babies are doing homework and they love it! Grant almost did his whole packet and that was supposed to last him the whole week. It's kind of chaotic trying to help 3 kids at once with their homework. "Mom, what about this? How do I do that? What's the next page?" Then if their brother is doing a page they already did, they try to help him out. It's pretty funny. I want them to learn on their own at their own pace. The school also has you commit to reading a book everyday for at least 15 minutes. You have to log the book on a sheet they give you and turn it in at the end of the month. So of course our book choices were "My Truck is Stuck", "If I Could Drive a Tanker Truck" and "If I Could Drive a Crane".

It was a fantastic day. They are looking forward to tomorrow and I guess I am too. It will be my first day with 4 hours to myself! What will I do......

I've had this song stuck in my head for the last week. It's a song that I used when I did a photo montage for the boys 4th birthday. The words are so appropriate for how I feel right now. The song is called "Let Them Be Little" by Billy Dean.

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand.
You felt so good in it; no bigger than a minute.
How it amazes me you're changin' with every blink.
Faster than a flower blooms, they grow up all too soon.

So let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give 'em hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

I never felt so much in one little tender touch.
I live for those kisses, your prayers an' your wishes.
An' now you're teachin' me how only a child can see.
Tonight, while we're on our knees, all I ask is:

Please, let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give them praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let 'em sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

The so innocent, precious soul:
You turn around, an' it's time to let them go.

So let them be little,
'Cause they're only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give 'em praise,
Give them love every day.
Let 'em cry, let 'em giggle,
Let them sleep in the middle,
Oh, but let them be little.

Let them be little

Super Fair = Super Time!

Yesterday Curtis and I took the boys to the Orange County Fair. There were many "firsts" which were really unexpected. The first "first" was that we went without a stroller! The only time we use our jogging stroller is when we take the boys to Disneyland, and I really do think they are getting too big for it. But, it's a way to keep them all together and from not getting so tired walking around all day. Curtis and I were really impressed with how well they did. It was pretty hot and we walked around quite a bit.

We entered the gate where all the rides and games were. The boys wanted to play the games but didn't want the prizes at first (I know, weird!). I have to say that the people working at the booths and rides were really generous to us. They would give us extra darts, rings, rides, etc. for no extra charge. So it was a "first" to play carnival games. Another "first" was riding the carnival rides. To my amazement, they rode a roller coaster by themselves! It was hilarious. I think Grant really liked it but Nolan and Jack had enough by the first couple times around. One of their favorite rides of the day was the mini bumper cars. I think we must have rode that ride 10 times. Jack really just wanted to drive around and not bump into anyone. He was very serious and determined to drive the car around. Grant loved to bump into people (definitely his personality trait coming out!) and Nolan liked to drive around and bump into people. The boys also rode bumper boats which was fun but not as exciting as the bumper cars. The last ride they rode was the big slide that you ride down on a potato sack. Nolan kept asking to ride the slide but I wasn't sure about it. It was really high! I let my motherly fears go and sent Curtis and the boys off to ride the slide. There were 3 lanes so each of the boys had their own lane. I watched them go down so fast and I couldn't stop smiling. I was so proud of them.

Later we went to the kid zone where they had a reptile display. If you know me, you know I don't like reptiles! They had huge snakes and geckos on display. Then they also had a place where you could take a picture with a huge snake. Curtis encouraged them to take a picture with the snake so up they went to sit by the snake. The handlers started to wrap the snake around their neck and they kind of freaked out (or maybe that was me!). Then they tried to lay the snake in their lap but Nolan started yelling "get me out of here!" and then Grant started to freak out too. I got both of them down but Jack hung back. He was up there petting the snake and making friends with it! It was hilarious. We also watched the pig races earlier in the day. At the end of the show the boys took a picture with "Strawberry" the swine.

We stopped and watched the family circus they had. I couldn't encourage them enough to ride on the elephant. They liked the juggling, disappearing of birds, and they especially liked watching the ring master stack up 7-8 chairs and doing a handstand on top of them. We talked with him after the show and the guy told us that triplets (especially identical ones) can make a good living in the circus. I guess they will always have something to fall back on?!

At the end of the evening we watched the BMX riders. I love watching the stunts these kids come up with. The youngest rider was 15! It was around 9pm by this time and the boys were getting tired. We had never intended on staying that long but we were having a blast. After another round on the bumper cars we headed home.

One very sweet moment we had early in the day. We met this group of seniors who were having a day out at the fair. A lady stopped us and asked us if the boys were triplets. Then she introduced the lady that she was pushing around in a wheelchair. Her name was Alice. Alice was 103 years old! She had the biggest smile on her face looking at the boys. The boys introduced themselves and we chatted for a bit. It was just an awesome moment.

So here are some pictures from the day. Unfortunately they were all taken on my camera phone so the quality is a bit lacking. The darn battery on my camera was dead!

Our First Camping Trip of the Season - Solvang!

We finally made it out camping this year! We had several trips planned but they either got canceled because of weather or someone feeling under the weather.

We headed out to Buellton/Solvang which is approximately 4 hours from home. As most of you know it has been in the 95-100's here but up north it was really nice in the 80's. The first full day we spent, of course, in the pool. My fishes (the boys) love the water. There was a small jacuzzi next to the pool and the boys wanted to go in it. They had never been in a jacuzzi before so it was pretty exciting for them. They loved the warm water and the ability to stand up without the water being over their head. Even better was when we turned on the jacuzzi bubbles. Oh, that was so cool for them. After the jacuzzi the boys wanted to go back in the pool. Have you ever been in a jacuzzi then jumped into a pool right after? BURRRRR....After the pool we headed back to the trailer, changed and went to go feed the ostriches. There is a place called Ostrich Land which is a ostrich farm where you can feed ostriches and emus. It's lots of fun and the boys have a blast. Those ostriches are crazy!

We met up with our friends and neighbors , The Kohl's, on their last leg of their 2 week trip up and down the coast. Their girls and our boys play together a lot. Curtis made a fantastic spaghetti dinner for all of us to enjoy.

The next day we headed to the pool early before it got crowded. After the pool we ate lunch and then headed to town for some ice cream. After cooling off with some ice cream, we headed back to our trailer to hang out for awhile. The boys and the girls rode bikes and flew a kite. Then all 11 of us headed to dinner at the very famous Pea Soup Anderson's. I hear the pea soup is great but you aren't going to get me to try it! After dinner, the kids rode bikes again and the adults were recouperating from dinner. We ended the night with margaritas and poker! Apparently when you have 3 of a kind and 2 of a kind, it's a full house :)

The next morning we headed back home. The boys didn't want to leave but it was time to go. Once we got home, Jack hugged the wall and said "I missed our house!" It was very cute. Of course the dogs were very happy to see us. They were well taken care of by Grandma and Papa.

Oh, we also made a quick trip to Neverland. The only thing you could see was the entrance but it was filled with flowers, letters, posters and balloons. On the way to Neverland we saw a church banner that said "Foreverland". I got a big chuckle out of it.

We have another trip planned in a couple weeks in San Diego. It will be our last trip before the boys start Kindergarten!

Here are some pictures from our trip!

The 4th of July

We had a really fun 4th of July this year. We headed to the park for a picnic with the entire Coombs family. There was a lot of food, fun, parade and water balloon fight. Ah, one of the best water balloon fights yet! I think the boys enjoyed the water balloon fight the most. Someone had brought a couple of plastic balls and bats to the park and the boys really took to them. Nolan kept throwing the ball in the air and was hitting it a fair amount of the time. I was really impressed with them because they had never picked up a baseball and bat before. After the picnic we went home and rested for awhile. About 8:30 p.m. we headed out to the Norco Community Park for a fireworks display. We were really close to the fireworks. You could see them shooting off from the ground. The boys were oohing and ahhhing at them but it was a bit loud for their liking.

All in all, it was a great holiday. Here are some pictures from the day.

Father's Day Weekend

We needed more than a day to celebrate Curtis this year! We decided to take the boys to their first ever racing event at Perris Speedway on Saturday night. We got there when the gates opened at 5pm but the races didn't start until 7pm. We had a chance to watch a motorcycle and ATV exhibition which the boys really liked. We also watched the qualifying races before the actual races started. Each of the boys would pick their favorite car or truck for a particular race and cheered them on. My favorite race was when the 8-12 year olds came out in their little trucks that went 50 mph. Those kids were awesome! I love that there were girls also racing along with the boys. We had a fantastic time and would definitely go back.

Sunday was Father's Day and we started the morning off with some homemade gifts and breakfast. Then we decided to go to Papa and Grandma's house to celebrate Father's Day with Papa. The boys and I made cupcakes for Papa and enjoyed the special treat with him. We came home and I cooked dinner for everyone (that's a special treat in itself!) and then Curtis and I ended the night with some ice cream from Dairy Queen.

We had a great weekend celebrating Father's Day. It's a very special day to celebrate Dad's. Our weekend was filled with things that I knew my dad would enjoy. It made me miss him even more this weekend. He would have loved to go to the races with us and would have gotten a kick out of the boys watching the races. He would have enjoyed the tacos I made for dinner because that was his favorite meal to eat. I was able to visit the cemetery last weekend to honor him for Father's Day. I miss you dad.

I hope everyone enjoyed their special day with their dad's!

Four Score and Seven Years Ago...We Were Married!

June 9th, 2002 at 4pm in the afternoon Curtis and I were married! It was one of the most memorable and special days of my life. I had found my prince charming and married him 4 months after we met. And now here we are 7 years later and life has been crazy for us. We have lived in 3 houses, had 3 kids at the same time, added 2 more dogs to our family, lost several loved ones along the way, businesses closing and opening, a near death experience, extended stays in the hospital, a flood in our house and back surgery. I am hoping the next 7 years aren't so eventful but I guess with the boys growing up I can expect more of the same?!

I wouldn't want to share these experiences with anyone other than Curtis. His calm, supportive and loving attitude has gotten me through all of those experiences. He is a wonderful person and I can't imagine life without him. I am proud of the family and life we have created for ourselves and hope that the love and bond grow stronger each and everyday.

This morning he came home with flowers from the boys (sunflowers which are my favorite) and a gift from him. It's funny because typically a man would get the electronics and the woman would get the pots & pans but in our family it's the other way around!

So Curtis, I love you. I know you are reading this. Happy 7th Wedding Anniversary!

A Little Boys Dream Come True

I think every little boy at one time or another wants to be a fireman. They dream of riding on that big, bright red, shinny fire truck. Well today we were invited to go to a fire station for a party. Our neighbor and friend David is a firefighter. He once worked at the Watts fire station where the party was being held. I will have to admit, I was a little excited about going too.

As we were driving up to the station, the fire truck was leaving to go on a call. After awhile the fire truck hadn't come back and the boys kept asking me when they were going to see it again. Thankfully it wasn't too long and the fire truck backed up a bit into the station. There were a total of 2 engines, 1 truck and an ambulance on site. The calls were coming in and it was quite exciting to see the firemen get into their gear "aka their turnouts" and get on the big trucks. A big treat was that the boys got to sit inside the fire truck. A call came in as we were sitting in the fire truck and we had to hurry and get on out so they could go on the call.

The boys got to play on the handball court for a little while. The firemen were having a handball tournament going on during the party. Lunch was served and then it was time for us to go. Everyone was so nice and enjoyed seeing the boys in their "LA City Fire Department in Training" shirts.

Thanks again to David and his family for inviting us along. It was great!

Sand and Water

It's been pretty hot here lately so the boys and I have been trying to keep cool. I saw a triple lane slip n slide at the store and knew that the boys would have a blast with it. I have really fond memories of when I was a kid and my brother and I would spend hours playing with our slip n slide. Needless to say, I was excited for the boys to try it out.

Jack got the hang of it pretty quick. He was sliding from one end to the other pretty easily. Nolan and Grant would run up to it, stop and then try to slide on the little body board that it came with. That was fine with them as long as they were wet! Curtis even got in on the action which was pretty hilarious.

Last Sunday we headed to the beach when we heard that the weather was going to be 93 degrees here. We have a spot in Newport Beach in Balboa that we really like to go to. It was overcast and a bit chilly at 10am. We spent several hours there making sand castles, running in the water and Curtis terrorizing me and the boys with sand crabs. I think most mom's will do anything for their kids. Well I decided I would hold a handful of sand crabs to show the boys how "brave" I was. Yeah, I dropped them like a hot potato and ran screaming like a little girl! The boys got a kick out of it but I think Curtis got the last laugh on that one.

There is a new video with the boys trying out their slip n slide on youtube. Look on the right hand side of the blog for a link to the video if you want to see it.

A Happy Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day today! I am so blessed to have 3 healthy and happy boys who are the loves of my life. I feel so blessed and thankful for such a great family.

I kind of celebrated Mother's Day all weekend which was really nice. On Saturday I was told to leave the house for awhile because Curtis, his dad and the boys were going to make me something for Mother's Day. Awesome! My friend Nancy and I decided to have a girls day out. Even more awesome! We started with a massage which was fantastic. Then we moved onto a mexican lunch which also included a big margarita. Nancy was lucky enough to get an extra shot of tequila in her margarita because the waitress didn't get my sarcasm fast enough. Our final stop was at the nail shop to get a pedicure. Ahhhhhh......we were so relaxed when we got home. What a fantastic day with a great friend.

The boys and Curtis were excited to show me what they had made when I got home. I initially thought it might be a bird house but I was totally wrong! They made me this great shelving system to hold some of my scrapbook paper. What a fantastic surprise! I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband. I absolutely love it!

Today the Kohl family came over for brunch cooked by none other than Curtis. We had some extra excitement when Brandi and Sterling (the dogs) caught a huge rat. UGH....it was so gross. Later in the afternoon I headed up to my scrap area upstairs and did some re-arranging. I love it! I spent a couple of hours scrapbooking in my new space.

Curtis is putting the boys to bed and then we will have dinner and watch the season finale of the Amazing Race. What a perfect weekend!

Thanks Papa!

Curtis, his dad Jerry (AKA Papa) and the boys decided to build a sand table. The boys really enjoy hiding their Matchbox cars in mounds of dirt so I thought it would be nice for them to have a sandbox. The sandbox turned into the idea of a sand table because I thought it might be used as something to pee on or in by the dogs. Not only that, but I like the idea of the boys clothes and shoes not being covered in sand most days.

So Papa came over last weekend and helped Curtis and the boys build the sand table. It is a 4 by 4 foot square table! The boys helped screw the screws in with the drill, helped mark where to cut the wood and helped move all the wood out of the truck. They had a blast!

Thanks Papa for our new sand table. The boys play in it everyday but beware, don't mess with their sand! Oh yeah, they don't like anyone else playing in their sand table. Not even me.....

Here are some pictures from the day.

Easter 2009

So I am a little behind...I've had sick kids and a sick husband for over a week now. I think we are on the mend now though. Thank goodness it wasn't the Swine Flu!

We had a great Easter holiday. Our friend Nancy and her girls Rylie and Kasey came over the day before Easter and colored eggs with us. I thought surely between the 14 eggs I had and the dozen or so Nancy brought, we would be coloring eggs into Easter morning. Boy was I wrong! The kids had a blast and were wanting to dip the eggs faster than we could take them out of the cups. On Easter morning the boys were very excited to hunt for eggs. After the hunt we had a fantastic breakfast made by Curtis and then my mom came over. She decided at the last minute to go to church with us. It was a very nice service and I was thankful our niece Ariana invited us to her church (even though she didn't show up! haha Ariana!) After church we headed over to a Coombs family Easter gathering. Surprisingly enough, the Easter Bunny showed up!!! Thanks to my nephew Josh who dressed as the Easter Bunny this year, all the kids were pretty excited, especially Nolan. Oh my gosh, he was so happy and he kept hugging him. We had a big Easter egg hunt and made about $20 in cash and tons of candy! I guess the Easter Bunny isn't affected by the bad economy. Who knew!

Here are some pictures from the day. Enjoy!

Chicago

It was a fun, fantastic and freezing time in Chicago. I think the warmest day was 50 and that was the day we left to come back to CA. Despite the cold, we all had a great time visiting with Roxx and Max (the kitties), oh yeah, and Uncle Paul and Uncle Drew too! If we didn't have 4 dogs, our house would be filled with cats if the boys had their way. Oh my gosh, they loved the cats. The cats didn't necessarily like them all the time but Roxx definitely tolerated more than she should have. Max basically hid under the bed and came out for food.

The boys traveled wonderfully. I worried all for nothing. Traveling to Chicago we got delayed in Las Vegas and spent an extra 2 hours there. That meant that we got into Chicago at midnight and not to the guys house and in bed until 2am. This was the first time we went anywhere without a stroller that involved walking for an extended period of time. I was impressed at how well they did.

We did a lot while we were there. We went to Navy Pier and had lunch, rode the train and went to the Children's Museum the first day. The next day we attempted to go to the Shedd Aquarium but there were too many people there. Later in the afternoon, Andrew joined us and we went to a 3D movie about underwater sea creatures. This had been the first time the boys had been to a movie in a theater let alone a 3D movie. It was hysterical watching their reactions. The following morning we headed out to Lincoln Park Zoo. This zoo was awesome and FREE! If we lived in Chicago I think we would be there every week. I think the boys liked the Sea Lions the best. There was a small train there that they rode and a carousel they went on too. It was a beautiful day at the zoo. The next day Paul woke up early and went and got tickets to the aquarium for us. Thankfully it wasn't as packed as it was the previous day. Later that night we had a campfire at the lake. What were we thinking?! It was so cold and windy! But the boys managed to scarf down a bunch of marshmellows and hot dogs and then we high tailed it back to the house. The next day we headed downtown to Andrew's work. He works at the Pritzker Military Library. I think Curtis could have spent the whole day there. Andrew was gracious enough to give us a tour and introduced us to his co-workers. After that Paul took us to the coolest bowling alley. It was called Lucky Strike. It was the first time the boys had ever bowled. They loved it! Nolan was hysterical because he would do this dance every time he would roll his ball down the alley. The next day was our last day. Paul and Andrew both had to work and we had the morning and early afternoon to ourselves. We took the boys to Grant Park and Millennium Park. It was awesome to be there. Grant Park is the location of where President Obama made his history making speech. We had lunch at the Crown Fountain and walked across the BP Bridge. It was a great end to our fun trip in Chicago.

Many thanks to Paul and Andrew who put us up (and put up with us)!

Here are some pictures from the trip.

The Letter Came

Yes, the one I have been waiting for from our school district. I couldn't tear into it fast enough. I prayed for good news. And.....we have been accepted!!!!! Good news is that the boys school will be much closer than our original home school. Bad news is that we didn't get our first choice school. We got our second choice school but that is ok with me. The Coombs family has a dear friend who works as a teacher at the school. Although she won't be their teacher (she teaches another grade), she will be a good resource for information.

So 4 months from today they will be starting Kindergarten! WOW. My babies are growing up so fast. I am happy for them (and I will admit, for me too!) that they will have this time to learn so many new and exciting things.

Lord help the teacher who gets "the triplets".

The Virtue of Patience

I need to work on this....patience. Not only with me but with my boys as well.

One thing I have been anxious about is the upcoming entrance into kindergarten. Curtis and I put in an intra-district transfer back in December. I thought we were going to know by the end of March whether or not our transfer was accepted. Well I just contacted the school district and because of the budget crisis, we now won't find out until the end of April! Something that I wasn't aware of (and thanks to my sister-in-law Kris) is that apparently the ratio of students to teachers is going to increase in the K-3rd grade. When talking with our school district, I found out it hasn't been decided yet whether or not our classroom size will be increased. Currently it is 1 teacher to 20 students. It could possibly increase to 1 teacher to 34 students. Can you imagine? How can a teacher have control of 34 students at one time, especially the young children in the K-3rd grade? The lady told me that they should find out by May as to whether or not the classroom size will be increased.

I will continue praying that my boys get the transfer that we really want and now pray for a small classroom size.

This week we are leaving for Chicago to visit Uncle Paul and Uncle Drew! We are beyond excited to go on our first airplane trip. It should be interesting :) I'm sure I will have a lot of stories and a lot of pictures when we get back.

P A T I E N C E......I will need a lot of it!

It's Spring Time!

I think Spring is my favorite season of the year. The flowers are beginning to bloom and the weather is just great! Two years ago, Curtis and I took the boys to the Field of Flowers in Carlsbad. If you have never been there before, you must go! It's a great place to hang out for the day and enjoy the flowers. We took a tractor ride, went through a maze, had some lunch, went to some of the kids booths, and of course walked in the field of flowers. I am hoping we get to go back again this year.

Here is the website for more information: http://www.theflowerfields.com/index.html

Not much is going on besides the daily grind. We are gearing up for our first airplane ride in less than 2 weeks. Our family is going to visit Uncle Paul and Uncle Drew in Chicago. We are very excited but I think as the time gets closer, I am starting to get nervous. Real nervous. I know once we get there we will have a fantastic time. I think we are planning to go to the zoo, the aquarium and Millennium Park where President Obama made his historical speech. Paul and Andrew live on the lake so we are hoping for great weather so that the boys can play in the sand.

I have been praying hard to receive good news from our school district. Curtis and I had put in a request to have the boys transferred to a different school rather than keep them at their home school. The school that we requested them to be transferred to has much better test scores than their home school. No transfers were accepted last year but I still have hope that it is in God's plan for us to transfer schools. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

The Boys 5th Birthday!

Yep, my babies are now 5. Hard to believe it has been 5 years since our 3 little miracles came into this world. I was so scared and excited all at the same time. They were 9 weeks early and all I wanted to hear was that they were healthy. They came out screaming and at that moment, I knew we would be ok.

Today was filled with fun and family and friends. Grandma and Papa came over this morning with a 12 foot trampoline as a gift. The boys were so excited but to them, it took way too long to be put together. They helped Papa and Curtis put it together. Once it was all done, they jumped until they couldn't jump anymore. They got to take a rest and have some lunch and Papa and Grandma went home. I needed to lay down and rest because I have been having some back problems this last week. I guess I crashed pretty hard and missed our friends, the Kohl family, coming over. I was sad to have missed them. Curtis woke me up for some cake and presents that Uncle Paul and Uncle Drew sent from Chicago. The day got by us so fast and then it was time for bed. You can say that it didn't take too long for the boys to fall asleep tonight!

I have such mixed feelings about this birthday for some reason. At 4, the boys still seemed like my "little boys". Now at 5, it's just different. They are growing up so fast and have so much to say. I am inspired by them each and everyday. I don't know why God chose me to be their mom, but I am sure thankful everyday that He did. I am thankful to have such a great husband who is such a wonderful father and a great role model for them. I know why God chose Curtis to be their dad.

Enjoy some of the pictures from the day. Thanks to all of you for being a part of the boys life. You all mean so much to us.

At a Loss

I sit here tonight at a loss for words on the eve of the 3rd year anniversary of my dad's death. It was such a vivid night, February 16th, 2006. The phone call from my mom that I had dreaded all my life. She didn't tell me he had passed but I just knew in my heart for it to be true. I drove to the hospital alone, praying to God that it wasn't his time. As I walked into the hospital to meet with my mom, I could see it in her eyes that this was it. I just kept saying no. NO!!! I'm not ready to face life without my dad.

I miss him everyday. Everyday for the last 3 years. The tears I have running down my face are just as painful as the day he passed. It's hard to believe it has been 3 years. Whoever said it gets easier as time passes was wrong. It's not any easier. The only peace I get is knowing he is no longer in pain.

This song by Luther Vandross I played for my dad at his funeral. It's called "Dance with my Father."

Back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high and dance with my mother and me and then
Spin me around ‘til I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved
If I could get another chance, another walk, another dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end
How I’d love, love, love
To dance with my father again
When I and my mother would disagree
To get my way, I would run from her to him
He’d make me laugh just to comfort me
Then finally make me do just what my mama said
Later that night when I was asleep
He left a dollar under my sheet
Never dreamed that he would be gone from me
If I could steal one final glance, one final step, one final dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end
‘Cause I’d love, love, love
To dance with my father again
Sometimes I’d listen outside her door
And I’d hear how my mother cried for him
I pray for her even more than me
I pray for her even more than me
I know I’m praying for much too much
But could you send back the only man she loved
I know you don’t do it usually
But dear Lord she’s dying
To dance with my father again
Every night I fall asleep and this is all I ever dream

Finally, Jack's Baby Pages

I was feeling so guilty because I hadn't done Jack's baby pages yet. I have been busy fiddling with my new scrapbook stuff but tonight I finally sat down and did them. Again, I love going back to the first few days the boys were born. Jack was the largest at 3 pounds 6 ounces. He has always remained the largest of the 3 throughout the last 5 years. I wonder if that will continue as the boys get older????

February is a hard month for me. Tomorrow, 2/10, is the 2 year anniversary of the day Curtis was shot. I try not to remember that anniversary but it is one that Curtis reminds me of. It is important to acknowledge that day but it was the scariest day of my life. February 16th will be the 3 year anniversary of my dad's death. Then, February 18th is the boys birthday. Such a mix of emotions this week and the next.

If anyone is interested in scrapbooking with me, let me know. I am really enjoying the time I get to be creative. I have also dabbed into making cards. I have a new cool embosser that I've been using.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day everyone!

It All Started 7 Years Ago

Seven years ago today (02/02/02!) Curtis and I met on a blind date. We met at an Islands restaurant in the parking lot. He was late which is one of my pet peeves. I almost left the restaurant but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Can you imagine? I would have missed out on the best thing that has ever happened in my life (besides the boys of course)! We decided to go to the Getty Museum. Why I thought driving in the car with a complete stranger for an hour would be a good idea is beyond me. But within the first 30 minutes I knew things were going to be ok. Curtis brought me two things. The first gift was a dog book called "dogtionary". It is a picture book of dogs which is awesome. The second gift was a dog bone for Samantha. At that point I knew he was a keeper! He loved dogs as much as I did.

We had a fantastic time on our date. We looked at most of the exhibits at the Getty and then we decided to drive back to Anaheim to his (and now ours) favorite Italian restaurant. After dinner he mentioned that his dog Dakota was at his parents house which was around the corner and asked if I minded if we stopped by to pick him up. Sure, no problem. Well there was kind of a problem.....This was a first date! I wasn't prepared to meet his parents just yet. He asked if I wanted to come in the house to meet his parents and I declined. To this day I regret that decision. I wondered what his parents thought of me sitting in the car.

At the end of the night, Curtis drove me back to the restaurant parking lot. The entire date he was a complete gentleman. He never tried to hold my hand, give me a kiss or hug. I was disappointed! I gave him a hug goodnight and drove home thinking what an awesome guy I had just met. We had made plans for the following weekend but during that week we decided we wanted to see each other sooner.

Well, you know the rest. This year we will be celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary. It's been a crazy and wonderful 7 years. So Curtis if you are reading this, I love you!

The picture above was taken the first time I met the entire Coombs family at a birthday party. So young and in love!

A History Lesson of Sorts

Yesterday the boys and I went to the cemetery where my dad was laid to rest. I wanted to set flowers there from my family to remember my dad's birthday. We stopped at the flower shop where we picked out 3 blue flowers from the boys, 3 yellow flowers for my brother Paul, Andrew and Curtis, and 3 pink flowers from me, my mom and Brandi (his dog). It is so much easier to go there with the boys than it is to go by myself. We sat and talked about grandpa and how he loved the boys and how he loved cars. They helped polish his headstone. My dad would be proud! The cemetery is relatively close to where I grew up. I decided I was going to take the boys on an adventure from my past. I wanted to show them where I grew up, went to elementary and high school, the park I used to go to and the pool that my brother and I basically lived at during the summer. We also made a stop at Carl's Jr. where my brother used to work to have lunch. It was a memorable trip with the boys and it was good to be back in La Mirada.

This is the house I grew up in. It used to be yellow and white but with no shutters. The gate used to be wood and this is where we were greeted daily by our dogs Brownie, Kabin, Stryker and Corkie. My dad would only let us have 2 dogs at a time though. I can still remember the time when the brick was put on the house. The front window you see in the picture was my room for most of my childhood. There is another window in the front but it is blocked by the truck in the driveway. That was Paul's room and I moved in there when he went to college. My family moved into this house when I was less than a year old and my parents moved out of it when I was 17 years old. I sure have a lot of memories here.




La Pluma Elementary was the school that I attended from Kindergarten until the 7th grade. We didn't have a middle school in our district. There are alot of teachers I still remember from this school: Mr. Moore and Mrs. Ansley were two of my favorites. I met my life long friend Dina here. Her and I are still friends after all these years.



La Mirada High School is where I attended school from the 8th grade until the 12th grade. Gosh I was so happy to graduate from this school! Ms. Farber was by far my favorite teacher. She taught the computer classes at the school. This year will be my 20 year reunion and I'm not sure if I will go.


This is the park across the street from the high school. My brother and I spent a lot of time at the park. We would go fishing or play at the playground. I remember this rocket ship that we would climb up in and just sit for awhile. For the 4th of July, the park would host a family event and then put on fireworks at night. I remember going down the make shift toboggan ride they had for the kids. Fun times! They didn't have this great jungle gym that the boys played on for an hour or so. It was cool to take my boys to the park where my brother and I spent so much time. I think we would still be there if Grant didn't have to use the potty!

And finally this is the "plunge". It is the local swimming pool which is next to the park. We were lucky to have everything so close to our house! Paul and I would walk there everyday in the summer and swim. We would be there from when they opened up until they closed. We were also part of the swim team so we would be there until after they closed too! I don't know what I would have done without the plunge. I loved it there! It's not there anymore but they had a high diving board. We called it the "high dive". Paul was the master of the high dive.

It was a great trip down memory lane yesterday. I was so happy I could share it with the boys.

Grant's Baby Pages

Tonight I worked on Grant's scrapbook. I decided that I was going to start a scrapbook for each one of the boys. I think I am going to do one page at a time for each of them because if I ever come to a stopping point, at least they will each have the same amount of pages. It would look bad if Nolan had a completed scrapbook and Grant and Jack didn't have anything!

There is kind of a funny story about the second picture below. This is the second page in Grant's book. While in the NICU the boys were given a small stuffed animal to have in their isolette. Since the boys are identical, we needed something to tell them apart in the early months of their life. Jack was the tiger, Nolan was a small blue bear and Grant's animal is pictured above. So I get completely done with both pages and I am looking at the pictures and then I realize......I put a picture of Jack there instead of Grant!!!!!! The only way I realized this was because of the stuffed animal. I noticed that the animal was a tiger and not Grant's designated animal. So I had to find another picture of Grant in the NICU because I wrote about "Grant being in the NICU" when in actuality it was Jack. I had a good laugh about it.

I am having a good time scrapbooking but it keeps me up so late. There is just not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. All mom's can relate to that :)

He Would Have Been 64. Happy Birthday Dad.

My dad had a unique birthday, 1/23/45. It is so fitting because he was a unique man. He was strong, proud, protective, loyal, committed, and hard as nails. He grew up the old school way. He had to provide for his family at a young age because his father passed away when he was young. He got in a lot of trouble with his mother and would hide in trees so she wouldn't find him. He had a brother and two sisters. One of his sisters passed away when he was very young. My father was a very hard worker and very smart even though he did not go to college. He had a great reputation in the bakery business which was his career most of his life. During his illness, it was very hard for him not to work. Keeping busy kept my dad sane.

Other than his family, his biggest passion was restoring old cars. He and I spent countless hours in the garage tinkering with his cars. He had every tool imaginable and he taught me how to use each one in his tool box. Building cars with him was one of my fondest memories growing up. As I got older, we would go to car shows together and it was such a special time for us to bond. In fact, at this time, we would be planning on going to the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona for his birthday. It was a yearly tradition for us before he got sick. Thankfully before he passed away, I was able to take him one last time and I will never forget that day. He was so happy to be there with me and I was with him.

My dad passed away almost 3 years ago and it still hurts as if he passed away yesterday. He was such a big part of my life and there is this void in my heart that can never be filled. I miss everything about him. I know he would be so happy to see our boys growing up. He anticipated the birth of the boys for so long. I was so happy I could give him the gift of being a grandfather. One of the best things I got out of doing the show on the Discovery Health Channel was to see my dad's reaction to seeing the boys for the first time. It makes me cry every time I see it.

One of the best gifts that my dad gave to me was being there on my wedding day and walking me down the aisle. It was a moment that I had waited for all my life. He was so happy for Curtis and I but he was so sad for himself. He felt as though he had lost me to someone else. He loved Curtis and knew that Curtis was a man who would take care of his daughter. The picture above is one of my favorite pictures of all time. In fact, Curtis had it printed on canvas for me and it hangs on my wall in my bedroom.

I love you dad and I miss you so much. Happy Birthday!

My First Scrapbook Pages

I had purchased a Cricut machine during my Black Friday shopping extravaganza. It had been sitting in the spare bedroom since then. Everyday I would see it and I thought to myself "I hope I can find the time to scrapbook". It took me 2 months but I broke it out last night. I dug through my 777 pictures and found the ones of Nolan that I wanted to scrapbook (thanks to Costco for not keeping my pictures in order.....err!)

Back in when I was newly married (and maybe pregnant), Curtis' sister Kirsten and his mom Shirley took me to the OC Fairgrounds for the fair. At the fair, there was a scrapbooking expo going on. At the time Kirsten was scrapbooking pages for Adam and got me interested in purchasing stuff for myself. From time to time I would get out my paper trimmer and some stickers but other than that, the stuff sat in my cabinet. Although I did attempt a scrapbook for Curtis and I but there were only four pages in it and they were pretty pathetic.

So last night I got all my stuff out and started scrapbooking! Doing Nolan's baby page brought back so many memories. The day he was born and how small he really was. I included two of my favorite pictures of him in the NICU. One is of my dad's hand on top of Nolan's back and the other is the one of Curtis' wedding ring sitting atop his little foot. It really gives you perspective on how small he really was.

After spending hours scrapbooking last night, I will be 100 before any of the boys books are done! Oh well....at least I can say I tried.

Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures

Today I had "special mom time" as we like to call it in our house. It's where either mom leaves the house or Curtis leaves with the boys. Today, Curtis left with the boys and baked a cake at grandma and grandpa's house (yummy by the way!) The silence was deafening in the house with no one here. Well besides four dogs at my feet to keep me company.

So today I found myself organizing the gazillion pictures we have on the computer. Some days I miss the old film cameras. I think with digital cameras you just click, click, click and end up with more pictures than you know what to do with. My intention with these pictures is to slowly start making scrapbooks for the boys. Keyword here is slowly. Yep, in all my "free time" I hope to make it happen. Maybe when the boys get out of college I will have at least the first 5 years of their life done.

I had already organized pictures from their first year of life. Today I organized the second, third and fourth years of life. It was sad, fun and nostalgic to see how fast my little boys have grown up. We have made so many great memories as a family and I hope my boys remember all the great times they had and will have growing up.

Please enjoy some of my favorites of the boys from their second year of life. This is from February 2005 to February 2006.

Some Oldies but Goodies

I thought I would make a slideshow of some pictures of the boys from their first year. I hate to admit it, but in some pictures I don't know who is who! They are identical after all........Someday I will have to explain to them that I was too sleep deprived to always keep track of who I was taking a picture of.

BOING! BOING! BOING!

Today was the first day of the boys gymnastics class. Oh boy did they have fun! Curtis and I laughed almost the entire class watching them. This morning they were very excited to go to "nastics" class. They kept asking me if it was time to leave yet. I wish everyday was as easy as today getting them out of the house!

Of course when we got there I had 3 times the forms to fill out. Thankfully they were patient and sat in their chairs while I filled out the paperwork. Inevitably someone had to use the potty....even though we just left the house 10 minutes ago.

Their class was quite big so the teachers divided them into 2 separate groups. There was one other boy there which was nice to see in the sea of girls and their cute leotards. From the minute the teacher turned on the music, they were ready to go. The smiles were so big and they followed the directions of the teacher very well. I could tell they were having a blast. It made me so happy to see them having such a wonderful time. And yes, I was secretly hoping that they would be exhausted from the hour class and come home and take a nap. Yeah, that didn't happen. After class I asked each one of them what their favorite activity was. Nolan said the trampoline, Jack said the tunnel and Grant said everything. So every Tuesday you will find us at "nastics" class burning off some energy.

A New Year, A New Blog

Happy 2009 everyone! It's a new year and I have had this blog set up for awhile now but have never found the time or energy to start blogging. I hope to turn a new leaf this year and make a conscious effort to write down my thoughts, dreams, hopes or just funny stories that happen daily around our house. A am getting too old to remember everything so maybe someday I can look back and see how fast life just passes us by.

This year, actually in 6 weeks, the boys will be turning 5! Don't ask them about their birthday because for some reason they don't want to be 5. Maybe because they know kindergarten starts when they are 5? Who knows....but they want to be 4, only 4. This year brings a new challenge for me. We decided to take the boys out of their pre-k program and I will be homeschooling them for the next 6 months. Somebody hold me....It will take a lot of patience and dedication to get them ready for kindergarten but I am up for the challenge. They have a desire to learn and encourage each other to try new things. Grant is great at writing his alphabet. He will show his brothers how to write a letter if they don't know how. Along with Grant, Nolan loves to spell words. You can find us out back on the patio writing with chalk with words like McQueen, Dinoco, Christmas, trees, clock, chair, train, etc. You can find Jack playing his trumpet or driving his long Thomas the train around the house. He is not in a rush to write his alphabet. Not my Jack. He takes his time with most things.

Our family is looking forward to hopefully a healthy and happy 2009. We have a big decision this year as to whether or not the bullet from Curtis' neck will come out. It's a scary thought but I pray that the decision we make will help Curtis with his pain and discomfort. It's hard to believe that it's almost been 2 years since that freak accident. God has a plan for our lives. That's for sure!

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God Bless you all and I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year!