The Boys Birthday Bash

We had a fantastic time celebrating the boys 6th birthday this year. It was the first year that the boys had a classroom celebration for their special day. I baked some cupcakes and hung out in their class for half of the day. The boys had a special birthday song sung to them by their classmates. It was such a cute song about the angels singing on the day they were born. After school my mom came over to celebrate their birthday with them. Curtis came home early and we opened some presents and had some cake. I had baked them an individual cake for their birthday. Their request was for me to make a race car cake for each of them. Hum...I gave it a shot. Thankfully we had gone to a cake shop to pick up a box for the cupcakes the day before and the owner of the cake shop gave me a picture of a race car cake that would be "easy" to make. Uh huh....I think it took me 7 hours to make those 3 cakes but it was fun. The boys picked out their own color of car and the number that they wanted on it. While we were celebrating with cake, my brother Paul called from Chicago. We used his video conferencing tool from his business to get on the computer so that he could wish the boys a happy birthday. During the video conferencing, the boys got to open the presents that Paul and Andrew had sent to them. So even though Paul wasn't here physically, he still got to see them open their presents. That was pretty cool! Then we headed to dinner at Red Robin which is the boys favorite restaurant to eat at. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the staff know us there since we probably go once a month. They got their favorite mac and cheese and a birthday sundae at the end. At the end of the day when I tucked them in, I still couldn't believe that they are now 6.

Sunday we had a big celebration at the house. Saturday night it felt like Christmas Eve here because the boys were SO excited about their party. We had a slot car race track and a giant slide for the kids to enjoy. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating with us and it was very cold and sprinkled at times. The kids didn't care but the adults were frozen. The boys got some great gifts and we had cake and ice cream. Little did I know that the blue frosting on the cake was going to turn everyone into the Blue Man Group. Most people who had cake also had blue teeth and fingers if they touched it. Sorry! We also celebrated their cousin Chloe's birthday and their friend Kasey's birthday which fell on that Sunday. We also had a "surprise" guest show up at the party. The owner of the slot car track and slide also keeps a puppy dog costume in his truck?! He offered to dress up as the puppy to entertain the kids and I thought "okay....". Honestly I was thinking "Is this going to cost me more money?!" He came out in his costume and the room got quiet and the kids kind of sat there speachless. O'well.... Then we headed out to take a swing at the pinata. It was mayhem when the candy poured out of it onto the concrete. Man those kids love their candy! It was getting late and people headed home to defrost.

We were so thankful for everyone coming out and celebrating their special day with them!

Still on a Nitro High

It was the 50th Anniversary of the Winternationals at Pomona for the NHRA. In my lifetime I have probably been to 15-20 of those races with my dad. We would start off the morning by having breakfast at Coco's and heading to the races. We would spend most of the day there and come home with a nitro high. On the eve of my dad's 4 year anniversary of passing, I find myself on that nitro high again. Funny how life comes full circle sometimes.

We started the day off by stopping by Fast Jack Beckman's pit. We got to see the new body that the Valvoline car is running this year. It is awesome! Later we came back to say good luck to him and get a picture with the boys. We headed back to the stands and Curtis told me that I was going to have the chance to ride in the tow vehicle when Jack was going to race. WHAT?! Jack and his wife Jenna invited me to ride in the tow vehicle! Wow....what a dream come true! After a few races I headed back down to their pit and got in the tow vehicle. I was sitting in the tow vehicle in complete awe. To the left of us was Cory Mac getting ready to race, John Force was in the furthest lane and to the right was Jack's competitor Gary Densham. I kept thinking my dad would have loved this. I know he was looking down on me Friday but I sure wish he would have been there to experience it with me. It was a whole different racing experience from down on the track. It was awesome to see the crew get Jack's car ready to race and see Jack pull up to the light tree. The tow vehicle raced down the track to retrieve the car and pick Jack up. On the drive back to the pit, Jack hangs out of the window of the tow vehicle and waves to all his fans. That was pretty cool to watch all the fans cheer Jack on.

After we get back to the pit, I got fired. Yep, I was bad luck apparently. We laughed it off and I watched the crew disassemble the car. It was amazing to see how fast these guys can take apart a car. The clutch pressure plate was still smoking when they took it off! The boys and Curtis came down from the stands to meet me back in the pit. After many autographs by Jack, he gave us a tour of his rig, actually it's 2 rigs connected together. Again, wow. We saw so many cool things in there and 2 of his other cars that are stored up top. One of Jack's crew members gave the boys a clutch wrench (I think that's what it is) and Jack signed it for them. It was the end of the day and Jack was packing his parachutes back onto his car. Curtis got recruited to help Jack pack them back up. I told Jack that Curtis wouldn't be able to sleep until those parachutes were out safely the next day!

The day was turning into night and it was time to go. I left the track on cloud nine smelling like I dipped myself in nitro. Poor Curtis, he couldn't shut me up on the way home. It was such an awesome experience. I'll never be able to convey my appreciation to Jack and Jenna for what they did. Not only was it a cool experience but it was something that was close to my heart that I shared with my dad.

Here are some pictures from the day

Feeling Nostalgic

February. So many memories are bundled up in this one month. One of the most significant events is the birth of the boys. February 18th, 2004 almost around midnight, our beautiful boys were born. Each moment of that day is etched in my mind forever. I can remember when the nurse came in and said I was having too many contractions. I can remember the panicked phone call to Curtis saying that the doctors wanted to start me on a stronger medicine to help stop the contractions. I remember when the doctors realized that the contractions weren't going to subside and they needed to make a plan to deliver them. My boys weren't going to wait for the next day to be delivered like the doctors planned. I remember my mom, dad, Curtis' parents, his 2 sisters and my nephew coming to the hospital to be there when the boys were born. Oh yeah, and the Discovery Health Channel film crew to catch it all on tape as well! I can remember hearing Grant cry for the first time. What joy to my ears. Next came Jack and then Nolan. I can remember seeing their faces for the first time and thanking God that our boys were healthy.

Now we are getting ready to celebrate their 6th birthday in a couple of weeks. How did my little babies grow up so fast! It seems like yesterday we were celebrating their first birthday. I am so blessed that God gave me these boys and I couldn't be more proud of them. This year they really have grown up a lot. Even though they still don't like to be apart, they are now becoming more independent with their own likes and dislikes. I hope they continue to be best friends and love each other but I am excited to see where life takes them individually. I can see Grant playing every sport out there and wanting to win every game by at least 10 points. I can see Jack playing any musical instrument in the band and in his free time painting an elaborate picture. I can see Nolan sitting in front of a tv playing video games all day. Oh wait, I see that now! That boy loves his Wii race car/monster truck video games! Whoever they decide to be or whatever they decide to like, I know that I will always feel blessed that they call me mom.

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.