The story of Richard

Richards story is not a long one but heart felt none the less.Last month Sam caught a lizard in our back yard. She does this pretty much everyday so I am not sure how this one got to stay. Well stay he did . Craziest thing you have ever seen he would just sit on her homework paper while she worked.Ride on her shirt or in his cage while she roller bladed oh and even sit next to me for hours in the grass during soccer practice. I have many witness who can confirm this madness. Yes we fed him. At first Sam caught crickets for him. Not sure how because I can never catch them. Then we moved on to meal worms and ants. Richard lived with us for about 3 weeks then one night he did not wake up. :( It was a very sad day so after Scott got home from work we had a service in the back yard. We said a few words and prayed. Sam started sobbing with her hand over her face. Not gonna lie I teared up as well. It is so hard to watch your kids hurt. He was a very special lizard who we will never forget ! Homework time . He sat there the entire time she did her work!

Just hanging out

Rollerblading..... I know in a bikini with a lizard. This is our crazyness

Playing in the yard

I just showed Sam what I wrote and she teared up and said "it's good mom "!She kills me!!!!

Soccer at the beach

Taylor's soccer team played in a tournament in Hunington Beach this summer. These little girls are amazing athletes! It was a blast to watch them play, although sand in the eyes is not fun ! We have the best team ! It was a great day hanging out with everyone . We are blessed to have a great coach and parents on this team.

Canyon FC girls U10 2010

Changes

This journey of being a mom is so crazy! We spend all these years teaching and preaching to our little ones and they learn and grow . They make good choices and bad and all along we are there. We hold on tight and pray sooo hard. And although there are times we can't imagine why God thought it was a good idea for us to be this child's mom . He did, he hand picked us for the job and God makes NO mistakes. I know because I looked into this at several points along the journey and the Bible gives the same answer . So we love them, laugh with and in our house at them, pick up broken pieces , and live in all that God has taught us. Now 19 years into this journey I get to let go. I know, I know this is the point of being a mom . To be honest there were several occasions where I knew the number of days till I could be done.
Well my job is changing it is never really done. But I am excited for the change ! Caitlen is going to work at Hume for the summer. It is a great change and I can hardly wait to see all God has in store for her. I prayed so hard she would get this job. Cate wanted to work in security and they only hired 8 , 5 boys and 3 girls.Well God answered my prayer exactly and she is one of the 3. I got to meet the other 2 girls who are doing security and they were great. She is going to have an amazing summer. I can not wait to see all that God does in her life and heart this summer. It will be an adventure I am sure. As I drove away I had no reservations . We have prayed and God has answered ! Cates I will miss you this summer ! Have fun little one !

Hiking the Hills

I love hiking in the hills! Last summer a group of us would go several days a week and run/walk the hills. It is so beautiful up here. Taylor's soccer coach has taken the team on several hikes up here now and they are a blast. Even the little kids enjoy it most of the time. We have gone 4-8 miles on each hike. The 8 mile hike took us all the way to Irvine park. ending with a huge hill at the end. Jake was crying and I am not going to lie I wanted to too. Dragging /carrying 2 kids is not all that easy. After the 8 mile hike Jake and Sam decided to hang out with Aunt Billie instead of with us. I did not push it. It is amazing how easy it felt without 70 pounds of drag . It was a beautiful day and Taylor and I had a great time !

I think God put these flowers here just for us today. They were so pretty and were taller than us. They were all along the trail and it was so cool to walk through them.

Tay wanted to be done right here. Not even close !

The team !

Jamba juice is a great way to finish the day ! So fun to spend the day with great friends and my little Tay.

Samantha

Last month Sam decided she was tired of sharing a room so she would move to the bathroom.So she gathered her blankets and pillow and crawled in the tub. She slept there all night. There were some benefits. No fighting with her sister ,no egging her brother to get out of bed, no talking and laughing. So the next night she wanted to sleep there again and we said SURE ! This time she brought in dolls and stuffed animals and even pinned her soccer pin on the shower curtain. She slept there for about a week and then moved back to her bed. I love how creative and quirky my little one is.

This is where I found her this time. She dumped out all the clothes and taped the baskets together. She is a nut !!!

I know the room is a mess . Partly because she dumped out the basket and partly because my children are part pig !

Easter egg Hunt at the Club

Every year at Grandpa Mel's club they have a big Easter egg hunt. Not sure who gets a bigger kick out of this the kids or Grandpa. Once again Grandpa's grandkids were the cutest on the green !

Sammy, Luke, Jake, Taylor and Shayna

Grandpa thanks for a great day !

Happy Easter

Sometimes with all the fun that goes with Holidays the true meaning and celebration can get lost. We do hide eggs and the kids get baskets . But I make sure they understand why we celebrate Easter. I thought all of this was going right over Jakes head. But today he saw a cross and said " Mom that is what Jesus died on, but now he not dead anymore. He alive " Yes babe he is ! We have little plastic eggs each filled with an item that is part of the Resurrection story. Even Jake at almost 4 can tell you what most of the items stand for. Just one more way to tell the story of what Jesus did for all of us . Whether you believe or not God sent his one and only son to live and then die for all of us. By doing so he paid the price for our sins. Not one of us is good enough to make it on our own. There is no deed or act we can do to earn way to heaven. But the good news is we don't have too. God sent his son to pay the price for all. All you have to do is believe that Jesus died for you and ask Him to forgive you for all your sins. It is a free gift. Which all of you know I love free things. I believe without a doubt that what the Bible says in both the Old and New Testaments is true. And that is why We celebrate this special day ! Taylor and Cookie

Jake and Cookie

Samantha ans Bella

The whole gang !

No I could not get them all to keep there eyes open, and smile ,and sit still all at the same time . Oh well!

Caitlen and Kyle

Sisters

Our Bunnies

Well we have had our little bunnies for a few months now so I guess its time to update. Not my first choice of pet but they are pretty cute. When I caught Sam petting snails in the back yard I knew it was time for a pet with fur. Not an easy task when Jake is allergic to dogs and Scott is allergic to cats and No I am not going down the rodent path. So bunnies it is.
First we got cookie the black and white one and a few months later Bella joined our family. I had wanted 2 girls so they could play and be friends. We were told cookie was a girl......Well we introduced them and they REALLY liked each other. AAAGGGHH !!! We quickly intervened and decided either we had lesbian bunnies or Cookie was a boy.We were not sure exactly how to tell if they were male or female. So Scott and I looked on line and looked at Cookie and then we got another opinion . This was something we needed to be very sure of. Well of course she is a he. The lady told us they can have babies every 31 days. WOW! I wish it was that easy for us. Now they can only be friends from afar. Hopefully the kids don't let them both out at the same time. As always everything is an adventure. Cookie

Bella

quick update

I can't believe how long it has been since I last updated this. Things have been crazy as usual. A good kind of crazy. I think as mom's we think that as our kids get older we will have more time ...HAHAHAHa . So here is a quick update pictures and more details to follow soon.
Caitlen is doing great. She is in College, working and has a boyfriend. Yes we really like him! This last week she left for the Dominican Republic . She is going with the youth group from our church to help at an orphanage and do programs for the kids and of course manual labour.It is an amazing opportunity for her to serve. I am thankful God has put this on her heart. You can follow their trip at www.grace-dr.blogspot.com Please be praying for the team this week.
Taylor made the signature team for soccer again this year. She is a tough little player. Tay also made honor roll this quarter. Way to go little one!
Sammy is back to dancing and will be playing soccer this spring as well. I will have to post the talent show dance later this month. So stinkin cute.
Jake is a my special little guy. Everyday he amazes me. He loves riding his bike and I imagine the training wheels will soon be gone.
Well there is your little tease for now . I will try to get more up later. :)

Giving Thanks

It comes as no surprise I am sure that this is on being thankful. This time of year how could it not.I am usually really good at this. Being thankful that is. My husband and kids are amazing . I know I have alot to praise God for. But sometimes life gets in the way So read on about my week of gratitude.
Well the kids and I made a tree in our kitchen and they each wrote on the leaves what they were thankful for. It was a fun way to get them to really think about all God has given us and how all things come from Him. We also looked up a bunch of verses about giving thanks to God. But all to often giving thanks always is overlooked. This has been a hard year for us , between job instability and craziness with the kids there have been some stressful times. But time and again God has provided. He has used different angels at different times, but his provision was there none the less. And it is an understatement to say how grateful I am. But sometimes I falter........ The other day I was not showing gratitude it was actually well , attitude and not in a good way. I was stressed about Christmas and how we were going to make it all come together. The tree, presents for the kids, Christmas cards,....... the list just keeps getting longer. But I should have known my God was bigger than all that. He let me have my stupid pity party then proceeded to answer my worries ( because I did not actually give those requests over to him ) and in one week God showered me with grace.
First I got 100 free Christmas cards. Yes Free I did not even have to pay for shipping or buy anything else. 100 is exactly the number of cards I normally buy. Next was the tree. I just could not justify spending money we do not have on a tree. I was thinking maybe we could make and decorate a big paper tree . My sister called and said they were getting a new artificial tree and wanted to know if we wanted there old one. YES! Next Scott's mom dropped by with stamps. I know it just keeps getting better, she thought it would help. I almost cried. But wait there is still more. My neighbor was cleaning out her girls room and wanted to know if the girls liked American Girl dolls. Her daughters have outgrown them, and have 2 doll beds , not just 1 but 2 and a bunch of doll clothes. These were actual things on my girls Christmas list. Now they are hidden in the rafters waiting for Christmas. I am sure my neighbor was a bit surprised as I choked back tears and asked if she was sure they wanted to give them to us. With a big smile she assured me they did. And you know what God sent us 2 other angels this week that know exactly how they helped and at just exactly the right moment. I am so blessed, and awed by my God. In the midst of my pity party He did all of this. I know these are all lame and materialistic just wants not NEEDS. That is one reason I feel so touched. There is no way these things happened without God. To prove it he hit me with exacts. I never doubted I just thought they were to small and lame for God. Well I can tell you my attitude is better! Thank you so much to all who touched my heart this week ! God used you this week and I am soooooo Thankful !
The other night as I tucked Jake in I asked him what he was thankful for ? He looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said " me thankful for you mom " AGGGHHH he melts my heart.