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!