2007 is almost over

I can't tell you how many times I have said or heard someone say that we can't believe how fast time flies. In less than 30 minutes (by my clock) we will be saying goodbye to 2007 and welcoming 2008!! It just seems like yesterday that everyone was worried about Y2K and what was going to happen to all the computer type systems. Can that have really been 8 years ago?

We are staying in tonight. The boys are still up watching Disney channel and we just finished watching The Bourne Ultimatum. Just wanted to stop in and wish everyone a very Happy New Year. Go Trojans!!!

Merry Christmas to all..

How quickly Christmas Eve and Christmas Day pass. I think I managed to enjoy it a bit more this year since I was able to get an early start on my shopping and wrapping. A good thing for me but torturous for the boys. Seeing those presents under the tree for over a week was making them crazy.

We had a really nice Christmas Eve celebration with my family and then enjoyed Christmas Day with Dh's family. We played a really fun game involving a gift exchange that had everyone laughing and holding on to those Starbucks card. Who would have ever figured that coffee would be such a big thing.

The boys were spoiled yet again this year. Their big gift from Santa was their Wii game. As you can see from the excited hug they gave one another when they opened it, they were thrilled with that. It has been fun playing and "E" has managed to beat everyone at bowling everytime. I even made him switch controllers with me because I thought it was just luck. He says he is Grandpa's twin when it comes to bowling.

Hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas as well. Now off to ice my shoulder. We have a bowling rematch coming up shortly.

When good lessons go bad

Today was chore day. The big guy had a to do list that he has been putting off for weeks and months. The house looks so much brighter now that light bulbs have been replaced throughout the house. He even installed double shower heads so the boys have one that is just their size. And the best thing of all, my dryer now dries in ONE load. I love it.

Now back to the lesson that didn't go as planned. The boys have a very bad habit of throwing all trash in any trash basket available. Gogurt wrappers, empty juice boxes, popsicle wrappers, etc. You get the picture, all sticky stuff, right? So I had three trash baskets that had a bunch of gunk all over the insides so I told the boys they needed to take them outside and wash them out. This will teach them to dispose of food trash properly. As I'm cleaning the bathrooms (my chore) I hear a lot of laughing outside. I know how hard it is for these two to concentrate on something without fooling around. So I go outside and they are playing with the hoses. Only in SoCal, two days before Christmas can you have a water fight outside. It was in the 70's today so I guess the water felt good. But, I don't think this ended up being the lesson it was supposed to be. I'll have to think of something else next time.

It's Your Birthday

R Man, so I'm posting a few days late but at least we did celebrate your 9th birthday on Sunday. Wow, how can it be possible that you are already 9? It was such an awesome morning as you came in my room and wanted to know (again) all about the day you were born. I know you have heard the story many times but I think you just like to hear me tell you how after 26 hrs I started to yell "just cut him out NOW". It is still so fresh in my mind it seems as if it was just yesterday. I just love those mornings where we can just have these great conversations. You keep me laughing with the silly things you say. You are such a special, sensitive and caring son. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. Happy Birthday to you!

Remember when..

Remember when you just wanted to get ONE good family picture? My niece came to me for a family picture, "just one good one" was all she wanted. They came in all coordinating colors and little G looked so adorable in her little grey sweater. BUT, she didn't want to take pictures. No, the trampoline outside interested her a lot more.

We did the tape on the hand, the baggie of M&Ms, Beanie Babies but she just wasn't interested. I did get to snuggle with her for a while though which was nice. This, I assure you was only because she was so upset with her Mommy for making her take these pictures. Even so, I'll take what I can get. I think this say it all.

I'm already behind

Boy, that didn't take long for me to fall behind with my blog. This really isn't as easy as it seems, but I am determined to get this going so.....

For the first time in many years we didn't spend Thanksgiving out at the Sand Dunes instead we camped out with some other friends and their group a lot closer to home. It was so nice having this trip only take 2 1/2 hours as opposed to the regular 7+ hours we usually have. There was a lot of first on this trip. Our new trailer, a new group of friends, a new location and most importantly new toys for the boys. Santa came early and all the guys in my family got dirt bikes. I was really in awe at how easily the boys got a hang of riding the two wheeler. There were a couple of falls in the first few minutes but after about 5 times around the track, it was second nature. I was equally impressed at how well the big guy did too. It's been a while since he's been on a dirt bike. He says it's something you never forget.

We are in birthday mode now, so hopefully it won't be long before I get back here. Until then, here are a few pictures of the boys with their toys.