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