Almost July!

Let them eat cake! Here's Kyle digging into his piece of Grandpa's birthday cake. On the 17th, Mom threw a big party for Dad's 65th birthday. It was a nice summer day, and we had the party outside in the backyard. Dad put up the canopies and we had tables and chairs brought in. Lots of family and friends attended. It was nice visiting with everyone. We even got a lot of the 1st generation cousins to sing Karaoke. I have the pictures, but I think my cousins would not be too pleased if I posted them. It was fun and a great time!

This month has been very busy for me. Kevin and Kaela both finished school. Kevin didn't have a graduation, but their last week of school was all fun and games. There was a Kindergarten carnival. I was able to help out with the help of Ris. She stayed home with the kiddos while I went. Kevin was so pleased that I could be there. A few of his classmates even gave me hugs! They are all so cute!

We went to a end of school year party at Kevin's friends house. A lot of his former classmates and their families were there. That was really enjoyable too. His teacher showed up and the kids insisted that she read them a book. Afterwards, the kids played with water balloons. Kaela got paired up with Kevin's friend Alyssa. It was so funny watching the two girls toss the balloons to each other. Neither could catch, nor throw. They were only standing about a foot from each other, but managed to drop and pop about 20 balloons!

Kaela had a bit of an accident the other day. Keith had to come home early and I took Kaela into the doctor. She slipped on a toy and whacked her head into the side of their wooden table. She slammed her right ear against it and managed to slice it pretty bad. It didn't cut all the way through and it didn't require stitches. The doctor said that it'll leave a noticeable scar. He also said they could recommend a plastic surgeon in her teens years if it bothers her that much. I think she can just keep her hair long.

Kyle is plugging away with the words. He is forming more sentences and you can almost understand everything he says. He seems to be a "big boy" now. But, I asked him if he was ready to start using the potty and he replied, "No. Pee diapers. No potty." Well then, I guess I'll ask him again next month.

Kenny. She is a climbing troublemaker. She climbs on everything. She can get on top of the dinner table and has even started to climb the ladder up Kevin's bunk. She is always on the kids' table and I swear if she could, she'd climb onto the dresser in the kids' room. She likes to make the other kids mad but turning the TV off and running away. I swear she has an evil laugh as she does it.

Kyle has taken on a nurturing side. I think he picked it up from Kevin. Whenever Kenna cries, he goes to her and strokes her hair and says, "Donh cry Nena." It is too cute. He's always finding toys to console her. He brings her her Teletubbies (which were Kevin's, then Kaela's, then Kyle's). He is pretty good at making her stop crying. He doesn't like when I leave her in her crib a little too long after she wakes from her naps and cries. He has figured out (which I am not sure how) how to lift her out of the crib and take her out.

Since Kevin has been spending more time outside with his friends. Kaela and Kyle have become quite the pals. They don't fight nearly as much as they used to just a few months ago. They actually play together. When Kevin comes back in, he just joins right up with them and Kenna too! I can actually find a few blocks of time during the day when the kids are all playing nicely together. I once in a while will hear a "Hey!" but then they seem to be able to resolve differences on their own.

Oh my babies, they are growing up too fast!

Let's see. What else?

Convention is less than 2 weeks away. SU! just released its new 2006-07 catalog and it is awesome! SU! has an incentive cruise for top earners and in 2008 they are cruising to Bermuda. I think I may have to take this more seriously and try to win it. That would be a cool vacation for me and Keith!

Mom is coming to visit for more than a week! Yippee! The kids are so excited to see Grandma again. They got some really cute postcards from her in the mail today and they loved them! They all carried them around the house all day today.

Keith's birthday is the same day that I leave for Convention. I can't say how old he is going to be. He hates when I mention it. lol I don't think he is old at all. He doesn't seem anywhere near 42 to me. Oops! Did I just type that out loud?

Well, I guess that is it for now. I know I keep saying I am going to do better at keeping up with the blog, but life gets in the way sometimes. Good night!

Happy 7 Years!

Us, June 12, 2006

We celebrated our 7th anniversary on Monday. This is a picture of us after we got home. It was past the kids' bedtime, but they still had tons of energy.

I was going to make a card for our anniversary, but I fell asleep (yes, I once again waited until the last minute to do something). By the time he got home, I was rounding out the third hour of my nap. I must've been tired. Keith got me a beautiful card, a really pretty sun catcher and of course some beanie bears. He got me the one named Fun because we always have fun when we go out together. The other he got me was named Dear One. He got that one because he says I am the Dear One. Ain't that sweet?

We had dinner at the local food court area. We had Indian food. It was really yummy. We didn't go out for a romantic dinner, but we still had a nice time. It was nice that we can actually sit in a restaurant with four kids and have a pleasant dinner. All the kids did great and I think the consensus of favorite food these days is Indian.

After dinner, we went to the "big" mall in the area and had ice cream at Cold Stone. The kids love their ice cream! You can kind of see in the picture that Michaela's hair is curled. She got it done at one of the little kiosk/carts at the mall. They were trying to get me to buy a ceramic curling iron. It was a really neat product, but they wanted $85 for it. Uh, no.

Anyway, the night was really enjoyable. The kids had fun walking around the mall and looking at the fountains and all the cool things to look at. Even though we weren't alone it was a really great night. I am not sure which I had more fun on - our first night of our honeymoon, or this night.

Seven Years Ago

Us, June 12, 1999

This was us during our first dance as a married couple. What a fun wedding we had. We weren't there long, we hopped a plane a flew to Seattle. We had dinner that night at Ivar's and stayed at the Westin. We had a nice high floor and a perfect view of the sound. The next day, we went to Victoria and stayed at the Empress. We had a suite that over looked the harbor. We stayed in Victoria for a couple of nights then headed back to Seattle. We still talk about how much fun we had on our honeymoon.

I found a link to our online wedding album that I did back in 1999. I haven't visited it in a few years and I am even surprised that it still exists on tripod. The link is below, but I must warn you that with ever picture you view, there is an obnoxious pop-up ad. Maybe that's why I haven't visited in years!

Our Online Wedding Album - Posted in 1999

New Pictures

I have just added a new photo album. It is listed on the left hand side as "May June 2006". Or, click here.

I have been really bad about the blog and I realize that I have only been updating once a month. I just need to organize my time better. *sigh*

There really has been a lot going on. One fun thing that happened on the 10th was we went to see the movie "Cars". It was so fun. Keith, I, Kevin and Kaela all went. We got free tickets for the premiere from AT&T. Along with the tickets, they provided the drinks (huge), popcorn (really huge) and a good bag for each kid. It was really a fun story. The kids enjoyed it and so did we!

We've been doing fun family stuff. Kevin's school had a spring fling that we went to. Stampin' Up! donated a lot of merchandise and I was able to make three nice baskets for the silent auction. We did a great job raising money with them!

We have also gone to the Discovery Science center. We go out for ice cream a lot too!

Kevin has been playing more with the neighborhood kids as we have finally let him venture out on his own. He has met a lot of good friends. His school is over next week.

Kaela is doing good. She is now writing letters and is copying words every chance she gets. She really wants to be a big girl asap!

Kyle is saying more and more (as always) and is getting more clear. He and I would go have bagels with Kenna every Tuesday together. It was fun, but will have to wait until the fall when the olders go back to school.

Kenna is actually saying a lot of words. Me, me, me. Cheese. Daddy. Mama. She is opinionated too. If she is not happy with you, she will yell at you. Ahhh! Ahhh! It is too funny.

Kenna's Bath

We think Kenny Benny is going to be a swimmer just like Kevin. She loves the water and actually pours the water over herself! By the way, did you notice what I called her? We didn't want to call her "Kenny", but it just happened. So, Kenny Benny, or Kenna Benna it is! She totally acts older than 1. She sounds like she is talking - Dada, Momma, please, thank you. She is a chatterbox and doesn't quit. In the car, in the stroller, walking around the house, while shopping. Always saying something! And those smiles. She knows the smiles get attention, and so she instantly has one - for family and strangers alike - if she knows you will pay attention to her.

Is It Really that Cold Kyle?

I had to giggle and grab the camera when Kyle walked into my office dressed like this. Isn't that hat hilarious! It is Kaela's hat that Grandma Fischer sent a couple of Christmases ago. Come to think of it, the slippers are Kaela's old slippers too! He was so pleased that he made Mommy laugh. He liked that he was "all dressed up" and so he wanted to actually pose for the picture. Ain't he cute???

Kaela's First Scrapbook

Kaela's an official scrapper. I'm so proud! *sniffle* She got this scrapbooking kit from Auntie Maria and Ellie and Colin for her birthday. She works in it all the time and has made pages for me, Keith and her sibs. She is so cute when she works on it. She is SO proud of herself and loves to show off her work. I was going to help her with it, but she had her own ideas. I took a deep breath and let her go for it. I am glad I did.

Kevin and Me at the Strawberry Field

With Ris' help, I was lucky enough to be a parent helper when Kevin's class went to the farm to pick strawberries. It was really a fun time. We took a tractor ride and got to sample all kinds of fresh just picked veggies. It was an organic farm, so anything that we didn't consume, we just threw overboard! I didn't realize how different fresh veggies tasted from store bought stuff. We picked a quart of strawberries, but I think we all ate more than that while we picked! It was SO yummy!

Oh Where Oh Where did April Go?????

My gosh! Well, since SO many people have asked if I have updated my blog - including Keith! - I have finally decided to just sit down and do it. I am on the computer all the time, but have for some odd reason (which I can't explain) I have neglected my blog! So, let's see if I can highlight the main points since my last brief update.

• I am going to the Stampin' Up! convention in July. YIPPEE!
• McKenna is walking.
• We went to Washington on spring break and spent Easter with Mom, Karensa, Paul, Grandma, Aunt Joyce and Uncle Orv.
• We saw Dad and Mary on the way home.
• I turned 36! And my baby sister turned 31!
• Michaela is starting to write her name.
• We are still not unpacked from moving.
• Did I mention I was going to Convention????
• Kevin has met with the speech therapist, and she has consulted with me. She does not think that Kevin should be placed in a program for his stuttering because she doesn't think that he has a problem. She wants to wait to see if it becomes a constant thing instead of the on and off stuttering that he has had. She is hoping (which frequently happens) that it will just disappear.
• Kyle is saying all kinds of words and I am convinced that he is going to be the funny guy at school that everyone likes.

I think that is most of it for now. I will try to be more consistent with the blog. Bye for now!

Albums are Updated

I haven't had a chance to write about the kids' birthdays. But, I will!

Until then, I have updated the kids' photo albums. Click the links on the left to see.

A New Picture

Here is a picture to keep you occupied until I have time to write about the kids' birthday parties. I will also be posting new photos in their photo albums (see left side of blog). Until then, enjoy the picture!

rubberstampads.com

I placed a link to my demonstrator website on rubberstampads.com. It is my picture at the very bottom of the page. Look for it. It is a small 40X40 pixel picture. If you click on it, it'll take you to my demo site. I have a special going on right now that if you place an order with me and say that you saw my ad on rubberstampads.com, you get $5 in additional merchandise with any purchase over $25.

My ad has gotten a number of hits and has (it was earlier today anyway) landed me in the top 20 sites. I guess people click on it as opposed to the other ads because they are thinking, "Who the heck is weird enough to post their picture here?"

Check it out rubberstampads.com and give me a click!

Sick As Can Be

Well, Kyle is no longer sick, but now Kevin and Kaela are sick, and I am too. Kenna has a runny nose, but that is it. Keith keeps saying he is fine, but coughs once in a while. Kaela has had a fever on and off for the past three days. Kevin came home from school feeling sick and didn't go today. I have had achey joints and congestion for two days.

So, since we are all sick and burned out, we decided not to do to Disneyland for Kaela's birthday. She took the news rather well. Which actually was no surprise. She (they all are actually) was very understanding.

Kaela did get to celebrate her birthday at school yesterday. She brought cupcakes that we had decorated with Strawberry Shortcake cupcake toppers and sugar sprinkles. We are going to have dinner (she has requested pizza) and cake on Saturday. We, of course, have Disney Princess plates and napkins to help celebrate.

I got some really cute dessert plates and napkins for Kenna's first birthday party. I didn't go overboard with the whole theme going. I just bought the plates and napkins and then got generic stuff to match. Going to party stores makes it hard not to go wild with the decor. Everything is so cute!

Kevin has requested Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday party. He was been wanting to go so badly. We keep saying that we will take him, but since it is his birthday, I guess there is no getting around it. Not that Chuck E. Cheese is a bad place. It is just hard to corral all the kids there. It can get pretty hectic (an understatement).

I'll update you on Kaela's birthday in a few days. Bye!

Just a Side Note

Last Thursday when we walked to the park, a huge bird with a red head flew overhead. It was fling fairly low. I would guess flying above about three stories up. It was the biggest bird I had ever seen "in the wild". Well, with a little internet searching, I am about 95% sure that this is what we saw. It is a turkey vulture. Since it is a vulture, it was gross to read about what it ate, but looking at it soaring above us was pretty impressive.

Sorry No Pictures

Well, it's been a while since I have posted a new picture. Kevin was asking why he didn't have a new picture up recently. We are still unpacking and I am not even sure where our camera is! I want to take some new pictures.

Unpacking is going slowly but surely. I am doing the best I can with having to just try to do our everyday things as well as find things. Keith helped by watching the kids the entire weekend - which is what he usually does. But, it especially helped this weekend in that I was able to get most of my stamping stuff put away (which means I can start stamping again!). Keith set up his desk and computer stuff on the opposite wall from my desk. We have our office looking pretty nice. It is a blue room - just like the other place.

Aside from the blue room, I was also able to start on the kids' master suite. Did I mention that we decided to put the kids in the master bedroom? They have their own walk in closet for their toys and a whole other closet just for their clothes. Kevin and Kyle are in the bunk bed and Kaela's bed is clear on the other side of the room. There is enough room left over that if we wanted to, we could put our king sized bed in there and still have room to move around with no problem. They have their own bathroom, and it is over the garage so they can be as rowdy as they like and not disturb Mr. Grumpy Bottom Floor Neighbor. There is a huge built in dresser that runs the length of the window (about one and a half times longer than Kaela's twin bed). We are setting up a TV in the kids room - a first for us. We will hook up cable without the receiver to give them access to PBS. We are also going to give up our DVD/VHS combo so that they can watch in their room.

Friday night I went out by myself. The kids and the unpacking were really tough for me last week. I was able to go to the bookstore and get myself a book and a couple of scrapbooking magazines. I am reading "The Time Traveler's Wife". After the bookstore, I went and had dinner and read while I waited and ultimately while I ate. It was fun to get absorbed in the book and to block out all the people looking at the woman sitting all by herself in a crowded restaurant on a Friday night. I would have much rather been with Keith at the restaurant than have my nose in a book, but I really needed to get out. And well, we can't afford a babysitter. It would cost us about $100 just to walk out the door for a nice evening together. Since when do babysitters charge $20 an hour???

Oh well. Sorry again about no new pictures. I will find the camera soon! Good night. Thanks for reading.

Oh. Just quick updates on the kids. Kevin is enrolled in an after school physics class. He learned about force last class. He is the youngest in that class and is really enjoying it. We have decided to take Kaela to Disneyland for her birthday. We are taking Kevin and Kaela, and Ris and Dad are going to watch Kyle and Kenna that day. I think Kyle is sick with Mono again. No fever yet, but he is just grumpy and not sleeping well. I will look at his throat tomorrow. Kenna is eating like there is no tomorrow. That girl eats and eats. Can you believe she is going to be one in less than two weeks?

Okay. Good night again!

Start At The Bottom

of today's entries. They are posted with the latest entry first, so look for the first entry for today and then read going up instead of down. BTW, did you notice we are at 3,000 hits (over that by the time you read this). Enjoy the update!

What's Up With Us?

Well, you've read about the move and the place, so let me update you on us.

Kevin. He has a jog-a-than next Tuesday. He says he is going to run 90 laps. We shall see! lol I am not sure how long a lap is. So, if anyone wants to pledge a per-lap or flat donation. Let me know. If you haven't heard from me yet - you will!

We had another parent teacher conference today. His teacher said some really good things about Kevin, and she is happy with his progress. When he started kindergarten, he didn't know many letters (only V and K) and couldn't count very high (only to 12). He didn't have fine motor skills with holding his pencil. But, she says his counting is great (can count past 100 and can also count by 5s and 10s). He can recognize all the letters and can sound them out. He is even trying to read. His writing skills have improved greatly. It was a great review.

Michaela. This social butterfly has been to two non-relative birthday party. She, of course, wanted to have a birthday party too but we decided not to have one for her or Kevin. Kenna will be the only one having a party - since she is turning one. Michaela is really loving school and is learning a lot from it (and Kevin). She is already recognizing letters and is starting to learn to write. Next school year I am planning on putting her into the older kids class and move her to three days a week. She is still as girlie as ever and oh so cute!

Kyle. He is in that awkward stage when they say a lot of words, but still can't communicate exactly what they want. As a result, he is a whiner. The same as the rest of the kids. He will just break down and cry without even trying to communicate first. Oh the joys. We went to the nearby park yesterday and he totally biffed it on the merry-go-round. He decided that he didn't really like being on it and decided to just jump off without trying to have someone stop it first. Well, you get the picture. Metal playground merry-go-round spinning at top speed. Little 2 1/2 year old jumping off. Not a pretty sight. He's play though. He preferred to hold on to the out side and run to make the thing go round. Well, again. 2 1/2 year old without the sense to let go when the thing started going to fast. Not a pretty picture. Nonetheless, he had fun.

McKenna. Okay. Our little female version of Kyle. She is going to be a trouble maker. AND, I know she can walk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her walking. When I turned to look at her, she dropped to the floor. Another time, I turned the corner into the hallway. There she is standing in the middle of the hallway, no where near anything that would help her get up into a standing position. She sees me and drops to the floor. I swear she is repeating words that we are saying. Sometimes clear as day. But, when I try to get her to say something, she just babbles. I think she is more advanced then she is leading us to believe.

Keith. He got a nice raise and a great employee evaluation. He got a raise higher than the usual and it was initiated by "the big boss". The guy he works with thinks that Keith is probably the best in the country when it comes to what they do. Keith is really enjoying work.

Me. Well, just busy with the move. Trying to get back into a routine. We got a new washer and dryer that just got delivered and installed today. Ris let us use one of her cards. Thanks Ris! She was also here today to receive them while Keith and I were at the conference.

Well, I guess that's it in a nutshell. I can't think of anything major that I may have missed. Good night.

This Move Has Been Rough

Well, after being here a week, we have found that our new place has a few annoying "flaws". Now, it just may be that we are comparing this place to our last. We moved into our last place sight unseen and we got really really lucky. It was a totally remodeled end unit townhome. Of course there were some "flaws" there also, but with us being here only a week, it is a bit disheartening. Okay so, here goes my rant...

Getting various services. Well, this isn't really a problem with the house, but getting services here has been a not so smooth thing. DSL service was delayed as is TV. I had previously written about the fiasco with the satellite. Well, we opted for cable and that hasn't gone all that smoothly. Let's just say that I am not too happy that I have had to miss most of my favorite shows two episodes in a row. Telephone service was fairly smooth although we ended up losing most of our additional features for a few days. Mail and newspaper service have gone smoothly as has gas, water and electric - so far.

Cold. This place is freezing! So, it has been a bit cold here in SoCal. We have had snow in the nearby foothills. But, holy moly it's cold here! We have had to put on slippers and sweatshirts and turn on the heater. We are an upper unit. You'd think that we'd be warmer (the whole heat rises thing).

Along with cold. It takes FOREVER for the water in the kitchen to heat up. It feels like frigid Washington water during the winter.

Okay, the biggest problem. The downstairs neighbor. A nice guy, but complains about the noise. We have hardwood floors. Apparently he's had noise issues with every tenant that has lived here including the owner of this place when she lived here. I have tried to keep the kids from runningor jumping in the house, but this four kids under six, how the heck are they supposed to stay quiet? Well, he has started pounding on the ceiling/floor. Well, I talked to him about it and told him that we are trying to be quiet and this is quiet for us. Even just walking around can trigger a knock from downstairs. Well, I have notified the landlord and she has notified the HOA. Supposedly this guy can be evicted from his place (he is a renter too) if he continues to "harass" us about the noise.

Well, okay, enough ranting. I shall start a new post and put in some nicer stuff.

Our DSL is FINALLY Working

No thanks to SBC. Jerks. I was told that because of a glitch, we would not have DSL until the 27th. Well, I called today to see if the status had changed and the customer service rep told me that it had been "turned on" since the 7th. So, there was a problem with getting the ISP to connect, but after Keith got on the phone with tech support, it got squared away. So, just goes to show that you shouldn't necessarily believe what you're told the first, or even the second time. It may be wrong.

We're Finally in Our New Place

So, we are finally in our new place. I turned the keys in for our old place today. The move wasn't so bad. Keith ended up doing a lot of the packing and moving. Julie and Mike helped us move, as well as, Mike and Scott, Julie's Dad's Wife's son and grandson. We got the standard UHaul and Julie and I packed up most of the remaining stuff while the guys hauled it away.

The move went well, but transferring the services ended up being a big pain in the you know what. We canned our satellite dish because it was just a hassle to get the dish installed because of all the rules for this place. DirecTV also ended up screwing up our order. It delayed us almost four hours from picking the kids up at Mom and Dad's (who, along with Ris, watched the kids Saturday and Sunday night). Also, SBC screwed up. We have our phone service, but our DSL line is not available until the 27th of March! I was finally able to connect today (courtesy of a neighbor's unsecured signal). I had a TON of e-mail.

So, I just wanted to quickly update you. Hopefully I can get this place all fixed up in the next week or so! Bye for now!