Welcome Baby Joseph

Our newest family member, Joseph Taylor, joined us on Wed. Feb 8 at 8:00 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs 6.6 oz and 21 inches long. He has the best honey colored blonde hair ever and has been the best baby. As predicted, he was a few weeks early, but he did very well in the hospital and they let us go a little ahead of schedule, thank heavens. There is little sleep with a new baby and even less sleep in a hospital setting. His big sister and brother think he's just about the best thing EVER and Meg especially wants to pick him up about 12 times an hour.  We are looking forward to visits from Grandma's and other family over the next few weeks. We are thrilled he's here safely and our family is complete.

It's a new day...

  I have an awesome family who is generous beyond belief. A few months ago my cousin Sarah sent me her Wishblade to use for as long as I needed it. It took me a while to get it together, but finally it's working with new blades and mats that stay put. After a few trial and errors, my first project was to cut out this quote and put it on the mirror in the bathroom.

   It's my husband's favorite quote he's fond of telling the kiddos in the mornings when we're all home and they come wake us up with cuddles. Those days are far and few between now that the big kid is too old for that (his words) and the husband is working long, horrible hours. Being out of the door by 5 a.m. usually means no one else is stirring yet. In any case, while preparing for school this year, I wanted the kids to remember his favorite quote and be able to see it every day. I think it turned out cute and I am hoping it will bring a few more positive thoughts to everyone who sees it. Thinking positive things brings positive things into your life.

So much to catch up....

Seriously, I should be doing 7 other things right now including packing for at least an overnighter. I also have a class to teach in about 2 hours and need to find something respectable to wear. I just felt like I needed to fill you in on some of our latest adventures a little. I have bigger posts planned, but they aren't quite ready to go yet. It's on my list.... really.

For our 19th Anniversary this year Justin and I were able to do a little get-a-way. We had such a great time in a small little coastal town not too far away. Grandpa Joe came and stayed with the kids. I think they wore him out. He left quickly once we got home. We went to Knott's Berry Farm without kids, which was a blast. We went whale watching, to the town's small festival, hung out on the beach, walking and exploring. It was amazing and we needed it after the past couple of months.

Megan turned 4 a couple of weeks ago and we had a perfect Pink and Purplealicious party for her and her friend. There was glitter and cupcakes and games and the trampoline. So much fun. I think the glitter will still be on the porch when we move in another 2.5 years.

Oh, I got my hair cut off. I know I do it about every 5 years and it was time again. It was long and hard to keep up and after two weeks of having it up every day Megan told me "You don't always have to wear a pony tail, Mom." Well, since that would require more effort and energy than I had, I decided to do something about it. On her birthday we both got haircuts and then we came home and did our nails. So much fun.

There has been a lot more going on the past few weeks also. It has made me remember and think about how lucky we are to live in a beautiful area, with great friends all over the world who care and think of us. We have a little family who loves each other, even though things can be hard sometimes. We work together to be happy. What a blessing.

The Most Amazing People

Recently I was able to take the kiddos to go and visit my Grandmother. She's a pistol, that one.(The one on the right.) She's strong, independent, incredibly intelligent and would do just about anything for her family. She's brought us all through some hard times and given us reason to laugh. She's creative and good at whatever task she sets her mind to. She's totally computer literate and will show her grandkids and great grandkids a thing or two about her top of the line laptop and what it can do. She's almost 80 and drove herself down the west coast to visit family and friends for a month or so. She doesn't plan on stopping these trips any time soon either. We were able to visit her in AZ. I miss living closer to her.

     When she's learning something or teaching something you learn quickly that good enough is not good enough. If it's not right, you get to do it until it is. One memory of a lesson from her is when I was learning to crochet. I was grown up and my son was about 4. I had done an entire two rows in an afghan about 5 feet long and realized I was doing the wrong stitch and had missed a couple of them along the way. She wasn't even there, but my son shook his head and said "You better take it out and do it again.... She's going to make you do it over anyway." He was right. And I learned to crochet and be proud of my work that day.

  

On the left is Emma. She's my Grandmother's step mother. She's not all that much older than Grandma, but she hasn't slowed a bit either. At 90 she still drives herself and is capable of it, cleans her own house, cooks her own meals, does her own shopping and gives the plumber and earful when he doesn't come back and finish the job he said he would do. She doesn't give up either. She's pretty amazing. I only have one childhood memory of her at a family wedding and what I remember is her laugh. It was great to be able to get to know her again and see how independent and strong and patient she is. Anyone else would have thrown me and my kids who were on less than best behavior out of her house. I think she just turned down her hearing aid and let it ride. So sweet.

 

   This is Auntie Dolores. She's no slacker in the strong, creative, amazing department either. I love her music, her ability to find the good in the midst of the bad, her tenacity and the way she finds a way to make everything work out. She can drive a tractor or a luxury car with the same skill and comfort. She can shoot a snake and play the banjo, use a cell phone and talk you into just about anything. She puts people at ease, no matter their station in life and relates to just about everyone. No matter what mood you were in when you came into her company, you leave feeling loved. That's a gift. I am grateful and amazed at the line of strong and capable women I come from.

 

   Here's Grandpa Joe. Not an actual blood relative (not that that counts for much anyway) but one of the best guys in the world. He takes care of my kids like his own. He's good with meeting the whims of childhood, teaching my kids that "Can't" isn't allowed and finding ways for them to succeed. He takes us all on great adventures and worries about us like no one else. We leave his house tired because we have a had a good time on an adventure or staying up too late laughing so hard we can't breathe. That's just about the best thing ever.

   I left this long weekend exhausted. We drove and drove and drove, but I am so glad we did. The kids got to visit some of the most amazing people on the planet. I am so glad to be able to tell them about their families in the coming years and how blessed we are to learn about life from some of the best. Sometimes they drive me crazy, sometimes they talk a little too much, or not quite enough, sometimes I hear one opinion too many, but always I love them. We are real people and this is real life and they are real family. What a real blessing.

Gifts of Christmas

I admit I am a crafter. I like to create, I like to make messes and I like to see the reaction people have to my creations, good or bad. I love to learn new things and in the crafting world it's easy to learn things one step at a time. I also have a dark side. {no comment from my family, please...} I am a procrastinator extraordinaire. I have the best of intentions and worst follow through ever. I started making Christmas gifts in July. Really. I finished the last one Dec 23. Ugh. My other real problem is that while I am amazing at taking an idea and making it my own, I am lousy at coming up with my own unique idea. So thanks to all of the wonderful crafters out there in blogland. Your ideas helped make a great Christmas for my family!

Christmas gifts I give have criteria to meet. I don't just give any old thing. First, it has to be fit for a variety of age groups. Nieces and Nephews range from 2 months to 12 years old. Some of the parents are bigger kids than the kids. It has to be a family strengthening gift. Toys don't last, memories do. Also, some aspect has to be handmade. It's better if I can come up with a plan and make it for each family (9 in all + grandparents), but I am happy to do different things for each family too. Lastly, it has to be affordable. Lots of people, we don't draw names and we have to afford Christmas for our own kiddos too.

This year was the year of games. I loved this idea from a blog I read. I have posted about it before and the same warning still applies. Every family got Yahtzee games with a hand made drawstring bag with their name on it.  The idea was to be able to add personalized games to them throughout the year. I have cousin memory coming up by Easter I hope. I also saw a version of Family Go Fish I liked a lot too. We shall see what actually gets done.

I borrowed an embroidery machine from a friend of mine. (It's actually for sale. Contact me and I will fill you in on the details.) I forgot to take a picture of this,although hopefully Dad and Annie will send me one to add.(Thanks Annie.) It was a bird tablecloth with matching gold napkins. Each corner of the tablecloth had a bird from a different season on it.

 It was really pretty when I was done and quite a learning experience. It fit the criteria in that it's only them living there, she loves to cook and entertain so it brings them closer together.

I also did a couple of quilts. For my FIL and his sweet wife I did this fun quilt.

I got the idea from Crazy Mom Quilts. Good for cuddling on the couch after a long day of horses and chores on the ranch. I decided that one quilt per year for was going to be my limit, but then this one fell into my lap. The same friend who had the machine I borrowed also had a rough outline of this cute quilt done.

 It didn't take long to finish it up, since it was all cut out and had all the pieces together. A lap quilt was perfect for this Grandpa.

For my grandmothers I made tater bags. They both loved them. Good for re-heating rolls, heating tortillas, baking potatoes or apples, these are fun and easy. Both of them have everything they want and love something new and different, so this was the perfect gift for them. No photo of that either. Think bright lined flannel with a bright yellow lining. Cute and functional.

No Christmas cards were sent out this year, I just didn't get to it. Maybe for Valentine's Day. Lots of cooking, lots of sewing {and with a brand new sewing machine, who could resist?} and lots of errands. We helped two friends move away in December, which was sad, but we know they are on to new adventures. I participated in a Christmas Choir, we had illness visit our house and Meg started Pre-school. I did 3 family photo shoots and 2 sweet babies but didn't manage to get our own family photos done. We also celebrated two birthdays and made lots of cookies.

 I traveled to WA for the funeral of my Grandfather

and returned to the biggest storms So Cal has seen in many many years. Here's our unofficial rain gauge for the 5 days of rain. There should be another almost 2 inches but my son emptied it out. Crazy, isn't it?

Still reading? Wow. That was long and involved. There were other gifts this year too. Gifts to me personally that made a difference in my life. Gifts of mercy, when I needed it most, gifts of patience, gifts of self reliance, endurance, music, creativity, hope, family and testimony. Without those gifts, where would I be? We hope you had a wonderful Christmas season and feel ready to take on the New Year with joy and energy. 2011, here we come...

Don't miss this!!!

I just wanted to send some more love to my cousin Becky. She's in a fight for her life and she's doing amazing. She's bringing people together in love and support and showing her never give up attitude to everyone. I have no idea how hard this really is for her, but I do know I send her my prayers and support every day.

You don't want to miss the event coming up tomorrow, Sept 7. Not the first day of school, although it is for us. The Bald for Becky committee, comprised of her sisters and brother, are hosting an amazing auction and fundraiser to help Becky's family. Not only do they have awesome tee-shirts, they have had some really amazing donors give some things you don't want to miss out on. Be sure to stop by the blog early so you don't miss anything fun.

And, if you are in the area and can attend the biggest party of the month, Becky would love to have you sign her head. She's adorable, isn't she? You can donate blood, play with the kiddies, and be surprised with the rest of the fun in store. I wish I could go, so if you do, give them hugs from me.

Photos and poster copywrite Sarah Kang. Amazing, isn't she? So much talent and creativity in one family.