Memorial Day Weekend...

This Memorial Day I didn't do much, post much, read much nor did I feel like doing much.

However let me first take some time to say that I am such a lucky girl. I have so many family members and friends that I get to enjoy who have put their family time and lives on the line for us and all we have as Americans. No matter what their job, their role or their time served they will always have my respect, love and admiration. Thank you everyone for standing up for this great country!

Okay now back to what I did (which I may add is not nearly as respectable as those soldiers who we have loved, lost and celebrated...)

So to catch up on things. RC has taken on a second job, which isn't really a second job as it is during the same hours that his company runs and doesnt take "technically" any extra time from his day to day functions as dad/husband. However, this does mean that he has other commitments on the weekends so he can't just take a "day off" just because he feels like it which means that I have to tend to the kids every day, including weekends by myself, just like when he was at the carwash. The reason for the second job is mostly just cause he was bored and we have other obligations we want to knock out financially while we have the ability and ease to do so seeing as his other company sort of runs itself :)

NOW, in Arizona it didn't seem to make a difference. I had tons of friends who were always down to meet for lunch, an impromptu trip to the park, zoo, movie etc but here, here it is soo much different. Everyone is soo busy that if I don't pencil myself into their schedules at least 3 weeks in advance my weekends are destined for solitude (well with the kids) and sadly it bums me out and makes me want to just veg out which sucks for the kids. So this weekend was my last weekend that I will laze about feeling sorry for myself. I will get off my rump and start taking charge!

Now...onto the details. Saturday. Boring. We took the dog for her 2nd parvo vaccine where the vet scared me out of taking her ANYWHERE. I swear, when kids get vaccines you were worry about what might make them autistic, what might make them sick, what string of vaccines will work best or worst, but when you have a dog you get told that your dog may kick the bucket without these shots if she so much as sets foot on a lawn or sidewalk that isn't yours and that hasn't been sanitized with clorox and had all other dogs, animals and humans kept off of it. I know that sounds dramatic but seriously. The vet seriously told me. Parvo is terrible. Your dog could walk on the sidewalk. Lick its paw. Catch Parvo and be dead in a week. Oh. Em. Gee. Yes I was terrified. It worked. THen I felt bad for Sophie and Charlie cause we never took them to the vet and cared for them completly properly. Man, good thing we found them good homes to go to! Either way she did great, got carsick on the way up and down the hill but I learned from Tiff that maybe Ginger Snap cookies work. Who knows, we are willing to try anything at this point cause its GROSS.

After the shots we drove around, got a gift for Peyten, got Carina a graduation dress (which hello she is grown enough to shop in the Juniors section now! So sad!) AND we did some minor grocery shopping. All in all it was a good day but uneventful. I contemplated stopping by my parents but they were both out. Man what a sad life you live when even your parents have more plans than you do! Ugh.

Sunday we went to Peytens birthday party where the kids had a blast. I was thinking that I have known this kid since the day he was born and never been to a bday party for him. Well I made up for it as soon as the I was around for one and off I went to enjoy the festivities. I even picked up the cake so ya know he was excited to see me! The good thing was that I was at his birth so hopefully he will forgive me as the years go on. Rian braved getting in the pool but it made me realize that I seriously need to consider some swim lessons. If for any reason, just my own sanity! No joke. I was on pins and needles and finally just had him get out because it was all just stressing me out to much. He was fine, he knows his limits and he even kicked in the water but still this worried momma was not able to sit. We opened presents, grubbed on food, had cake, ate lots of junk food, swam, jumped on the trampoline. All in all it was a great day oh and did I mention I got a baby fix. I got to hold precious little Teagen and although he will not sleep for momma I did get a rare two minutes where he slept peacefully in my arms. Yes I took pics.

**Funny yet annoying story for the weekend. I have been REALLY good about making sure I have everything packed and loaded and double checked and so on. Now we always have the diaper bag in the car ready and full of what we would need in any typical day just in case we go to dinner or a friends after work and don't want to drive all the way back up the hill. Well today was no different. Started with a checklist, made a swim party bag, loaded the gift, extra clothes, diaper bag with EXTRA diapers and swim diapers, had Carina's bags packed as she was going to a friends to do a report and then head to her Nanas, had snacks packed for the drive down and the dog was taken out and then kenneled back up after her "time". I felt really good about it all then I realized I had a TON of bags and was going to consolidate. Got the kids in the car, grabbed the bags, ran in the house, threw all our junk in one bag, made one last pit stop at the restroom (even moms need potty breaks here and there) and then ran out the door. Picked up the cake, got to Melodys house EARLY and was soo proud of myself. WELL until I realized when I went to drop off the cake and Neya (had to run Carina to her friends) that I forgot the damn bag on the chair where I consolidated...all the way up the hill 1.5 hours away (round trip). So what happened you ask. I didn't run home but Neya and Rian both got new swim suits and i had to purchase a fresh pack of diapers and wipes for Rian as well via a quick trip to Target. UGH! Then you would think I learned my lesson but NOPE. Monday when we came down the hill, I left my damn money on the dresser in my bedroom after thinking to myself...oh gee, put that in your purse! UGHHHHH. How frustrating. Hope you are laughing. I am not. ***

Monday. We saw Kung Fu Panda. It was good, Rian got bored and Neya jabbered and laughed loudly at all the funny parts. Carina was with her Nana (she actually was there since Sunday afternoon). I was alone and I even bbq'd and at alone as RC had prior engagements for his brother. It was sort of depressing, there were no big bbq's to go to, no friends around and no nothing really but hey, it was quiet and after some of the crazy weekends we have had, I will take it! Hehe.

So without further delay here are some of the cutest pics from Peyten's 6th Birthday Party! Enjoy!

Losing it...

I am pretty sure I am suffering from "sometimers" disease. I mean it. I have moments where I can remember everything and then moments later my mind is blank, can barely remember who my kids are, palms are sweating. Okay okay, little dramatic, but seriously. I forget the weirdest things and mix up the oddest conversations and then I am left at the end of the day trying to make heads or tails of it. I had a day off once, and after that day to just recoup I was back to normal but now back in the chaos of my life its all going back to be one big jumbled up mess. Oh how I hope this all gets figured out and that my brain starts to realize I can't suffer from forgetfullness.

Weekend Fun...

This weekend we had a lot going on. We took the dog to the vet, we went grocery shopping, we got some garden stuff for our front yard, we had the girls play with friends, we bought a bbq, we turned a cat scratcher post into a table, we put our bbq together, we got haircuts for RC and Carina, we made an amazing dinner and dessert and then we CRASHED as soon as we hit our pillows Sunday night! I told you it was busy!

Of course I have told myself I will get better about pics and such so I have and you will be happy to know that the only thing I did not document was the vet trip.

I know I know, its almost as sweet as your babies first appointment only not. They put a thermometer up her rear, they shoved meds down her throat (okay thats exaggerating, they rolled it in a treat) they gave her a shot and she was shaking by the time we left. NOT really something that can be fixed by a pacifier or a bottle. So it was kinda of sad and instead I was stuck being a loving mom. On an upside she is sleeping in her crate almost every night (except for our long days when we let her sleep in the bed) and she is getting so much better when we say "Kennel Up" about just going in and laying down. Thank you Dusty for the advice on what words to use. She is getting more adventurous and is starting to frustrate me because she is having an accident a day in the house. Its weird. She was soo good and its like she is regressing so we will go back to giving her many treats and rewards for good "trips" outside. All in all I do not have a reason to post a "I hate my dog" post and am happy that she is still also tolerating us. Since I did not document the trip here is a pic of her 'sun bathing' while we worked hard on the yard.



Our BBQ. We have gone back and forth on when to get one, what kind to get, if we will use, if we want to spend the money on one and the list goes on and on about our BBQ internal battles with ourselves. Well a decision was made when I went to Fresh and Easy (Yes a little piece of AZ here in Napa!) and they had the yummiest looking NY Steaks. I don't eat steak really. I suck at cooking it, I am not a huge red meat fan and mostly I suck at cooking it (yes I know I already said that...we are just emphasizing the severity of my sucky steak cooking abilities). Despite all that dislike towards red meat I bought them anyways cause I had the hugest craving. NO NO NO don't even start thinking I'm preggers. I called RC right after our trip and said "we are buying a BBQ THIS WEEKEND". I didn't really think how or the specifics but we got it anyways and I LOVE IT. RC and the whole family (we each helped a tiny bit each) put the BBQ together and then of course we took some time for a photo op.





Wait a minute...that's not a BBQ...its a RIAN!!!



Later that day we went down to hill to town and we got a few things done. We dropped of a "stool sample" to the vet. Let me tell ya. The kids were totally grossed out by this but I am not sure whats more gross. Picking up dog poop from a lawn and placing it in a plastic vile, or picking up poop from a floor or undies and disposing in a toilet (of course this only happens when potty training) Either way both situations can be pretty traumatic. We also got RC and Carina hair cuts but the highlights of that trip was when we went to Home Depot. We were finally going to finish one of the front yard projects we had started. We have a little area the length of our house that we wanted to plant flowers in. So the girls originally got seeds and then I was scared they wouldn't grow so yesterday on top of STINKY soil we bought some potted 'full sun' flowers as well. HOPEFULLY They stay alive and it would be even better if the other flowers grew as well :) We also got adventurous and decided to plant some strawberries and basil. They both say FULL SUN and thats what they get in that area so we are not sure if they will grow but hey, it can't hurt to try :)



Before pics of our "gardening" area




Pics during our "gardening" tasks





After pics of our "gardening" area




I will not lie and say I believe that I was born with some 'green thumb' and that I think that we will miraculously have the best looking garden in town but I also dont think we will entirely kill everything. haha. The next item is to get the lawn taken care of. We have to rototill it and I will need my dads assist for that, but I think we are actually considering doing it next weekend so we can plant seed before the really hot months :) So MAYBE pics to come soon but I wouldn't hold my breathe if I were you. When it comes to gardening things tend to take a bit longer than we expect. Haha.

Our last "chore" for the day was to finish a task that I had wanted to do when I realized our cat only used the post part of the cat scratcher we bought her. I figured. Hey why not turn it into a coffee table and put it in the corner between our couches! yay me for being so brilliant. So this week my dad has routered the edges and sanded it and this weekend I painted it and put a sweet gloss coat on it. NOW of course, while it was drying Rian decided to stick his grubby hands on it so now I have a cute little hand print on one of the sides. I was mad about it ruingin all my 'hard work' but hey, it adds character. Makes it ours. Ya know!?!?! So it shall be the kitty post coffee table with grubby little hand prints and we will love it! Haha. Rian also was ecstatic about the drill we used to screw the board to the top of the cat post with so I got video of him helping there as well. So cute.

Before

After

Lastly I will leave you what we had for dinner Sunday night. I do believe that we are going to make Sundays a grill night where our whole meal will be cooked on the grill. Including any dessert we make! SOO good! Check out these pics and tell me that doesn't make you hungry! The pics don't do the food justice, it tasted SOO much better than the pics even look. The strawberries in the dessert were cooked on the grill, you coat them in sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and a tiny water. lay them top side down (you trim the stem off to make a flat surface) in a cake pan and then you pour the extra mix over the top. Cook on the BBQ in the pan for 8-12 minutes, the more ripe they are the less time you cook them, and once all the strawberries are nice and soft and glazed you take them off the bbq, let them cool for 5 minutes, get an extra coating of yummy glaze and then pour over the top of the ice cream. SOO GOOD.




***Disclaimer: I swear we do not play favorites and only choose to take pics of Rian, in fact most of Sunday the girls were playing with the neighbors so its really their fault that they aren't in any pics. haha. Wait does that still make me sound like a terrible mom...Sheesh, can't catch a break.***

Doesn't April bring showers...not MAY!!

Let me just tell you.

We are in May and we are still having Hail and crazy cold weather. What is up! I have half a mind to retreat back to Arizona just to get my good weather back! ugh. Okay lets be honest. I am hunting for any reason to head back to Arizona. In case you don't believe how bad the weather is here right now and in case you are in some dillusion that the old saying of "April Showers Bring May Flowers" well I have the proof to burst your little bubble!



And yes. Sigh. That is Laneya being a brat in the background telling people what to do in a more than normal "Bratty tone".

But wait. Did you hear what she said....

Yep. she said...

"The PUPPY is going to get cold!"

I know I know. We got a darn puppy. I said we were just going to look but RC said the defenition of "looking at a puppy" actually means...going to pick out which one we are taking home and not leaving empty handed. Well he was right. haha. They had a boy and girl and although the boy was smaller and adorable he was nippier, peed when he got excited and well...to be honest...she loved on us soo much more. So away we went with a sweet little puppy. He did let us know that they get a bit carsick when they are left on the floor or something so we held her and I was more than happy to do so. We went and got only the necessities on Saturday and since Carina was at a friends house for the night we kept it a secret so that we didnt have to hear how sad she was that she wasn't around. I know, mean and cruel but she was even more excited when we showed up the next day to pick her up instead of completely letting it ruin her sleep over.

THe first night, little Chloe, was great. She had one accident and since then...NONE! Fingers crossed it stays that way. She has been going outside and Saturday night was soo freezing she didnt want to go outside and I had to force her and although I am not entirely the dress your dog up in frilly outfits type of person I did feel she needed a little sweater and so we got her one. Mostly to keep her warm but also cause well..they are only this small for so long. Hehe. Its like kids. You gotta do with them as you like before they get old enough to tell you no, or in Chloes case, before she gets fast enough to run away. Ha!

Biggest hurdle. Rian. He is pretty scared of her. At least up until last night. He would cry when she would walk in the room or get near him or pretty much look in his general direction. He would scream a little pitiful scream and run as fast as he could to get away from her and jump on the couch that she is currently to small to jump on herself. I will call it his safe place. Last night however, RC and I were cleaning up and I heard Rian laughing hysterically. I of course caught it a bit late but here is some of how Rian opened up to her. I guess he likes her best when she is sleeping. Sorry its a bit dark.



I of course, also got some pics and since I said I would get better about posting them in a more timely manner, here are some pics of the sweet girl.




OH and I forgot. We had Sam and Rachel come over to eat dinner and chillax and bring over their puppies to meet Chloe Sunday night. We want to get her socialized as quickly as possible. They have bigger puppies and they are pitbulls so although I was a bit skeptical on how they would treat her (yes I am THAT person that is a little scared of PitBulls around my fam and kids) they all did great, in fact I can't wait for us all to get together again. They didn't bring Emma over, their oldest, just Louie their youngest and they played great, I included a pic of them resting together. CUTE! In fact, even though Louie is double Chloe's size he was a bit scared of her and more cause she is soo hyper I think. We all played outside, froze a bit, checked out Sam's new sweet remote control car and just had a blast chit chatting together. I am FINALLY getting back in the swing of things.



Sleeping is a challenge and being a small somewhat destructive breed (when left to their own devices) we have decided to crate train. I got a few pointers today from some friends (thanks Tiff and Shannon) and will be using those to ease the pain and sufferring of this process for not only Chloe but for us, our ears and I much needed rest that was lost last night due to barking and howling and sheer sadness.

Onwards and upwards and if I don't get any sleep I will be posting next weekend a pic of my sleep deprived self and I will be titling that days blog "I hate my decision to get a puppy". Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!

Hardy Har Har...

So I read my friend Tiff's Blog, and her post dissappeared as well and being much more crafty than myself she saw that she had it still up on her iphone web app Safari. Sooo she copied and pasted the blog adn reposted. Well I got wise and did the same thing on my non iphone phone, complete with a non cool web browser app and got mine back BUT only to find that WTF. It reappeared. (yes I had to point out I don't have a super snazzy iphone and that I may be slightly envious...but would never admit that in person...)

Yeah. I know that maybe they have tech guru's working around the clock to fix these sorts of mishaps. But I will continue to believe that my "Die in a fire" threat to blogspot is what ultimately made everything reappear.

Just sayin'.

I post the blog and within an hour its all back.

Coincidence?

I think not.

D.I.A.F.

Do you know what that means.

It means. Die In A Fire.

As in. BLOGGER. Darn you for removing my post and not keeping it ANYWHERE on my blog, not in drafts, not in deleted, not ANYWHERE!!! I sat for a good hour writing, blabbing, updating and now GONE.

So that I say.

Blogger. D.I.A.F!

Bloggy friends, just know it was a good long post that explained my picture overload blog (Hiatus Part 1) and now you will never know the great stories that were once there. Sad. Boohoo.

Okay quick change of subject.

RC and I have some drama going on. NO NO NO not with us as in relationship. In fact, that part of life has been G.R.E.A.T. like straight up Tony the Tiger GREAAATTTT! Its other stuff that I need not mention here nor anywhere else ever, but let me tell you the weight on our shoulders is big. Kinda like...heaviest woman in the world big. If you know me at all, I'm small. That kinda weight on my shoulders. Thats bound to cause some back pain, some neck pain, possibly break my legs and ankles. HUGE pain.

Well.

Despite said heavy annoying weight on my shoulders RC and I are holding it together. We are having a blast with the kids, with life etc. Which leads me to a great parenting story. Last night I was cooking dinner. Gourmet stuff. Mac N' Cheese, Chicken strips (that I actually made myself out of real chicken and not frozen pull out of a bag kind..eh hem...don't judge me for my feeding choices. lol.) and Corn (yes we eat veggies to!). I was there stirring away at my mac n cheese concoction when RC and Carina come running in the house and Carina has blood on her hands, she is crying, more like sobbing and snorting and wheezing, RC looks terrified and of course Rian is still running around the street and Neya could care less that her sister is bleeding out of her mouth. WELL. RC apparently was playing catch with her and she was doing so good they decided to switch it up a bit, she bobbed, and forgot to weave and at the same time forgot to catch the ball (by forgot I mean she completely missed the ball) and hit her straight in the mouth. Two front teeth bleeding, cut through the lip kinda miserable "owie" as Rian would call it.

By the time we got her to calm down, Rian was sweet enough to run alllll the way down the court (d'oh!), retrieve the softball that got let go to run wild in the chaos and he was oh so proud of himself. Thank goodness we live in the middle of nowhere and theonly thing we need to worry about is Rian possibly getting run over by a deer. Haha. After Carina popped a Tylenol PM, ate a popsicle (well licked it to death) and settled in on the couch we ended the night with American Idol, Greys and Private Practice.

Quick Pic of Carina playing "poor me" She did smile I swear but for the camera she was not havin' it AND this morning her smile has returned permanently but her lip is much more swollen. If my papparazzi sense would have kicked in I would have surely got it while it was nice and bloody but instead my dang mommy senses kicked in first.



OH and did I mention that I almost passed out during all this. I blame it on not eating anything all day and rushing around when all this happened but RC says I'm a sissy and that it was cause I saw the blood. Either way. What a wuss.

Today we took her to the dentist as last night one of her front teeth was REALLY loose but this AM it was a bit more together and and firm and we just needed confirmation that our kid wasn't going to lose it or have it discolor or sheezus that at the tender age of 11 she would need a fake tooth. I didn't take my kid to the last Napa dentist we went to (they were terribly mean to Neya and scary) so I chose some other random one on the same street as my old orthodontist and not only was he nice but he assured us that we had nothing to worry about, just to make sure she didnt put to much pressure on it before she was ready. Oh joy!

I tell ya. Never a dull moment.

Now back to work and more sulking over losing my really fantastic and really long blog post about all the pics I uploaded. Boohoo :(

(hey didn't you all miss these totally great blogs. Aren't you glad I am back to rot your brain with all these fun stories!)

Hiatus...Part 3

I said I was going to write about all the pics and I really just picked the stories that would actually gain some interest. I know if I wrote about ALL the pics I would lose you somewhere between paragraph 25 and 30. So to spare you here are some key stories. I want to preface this last "hiatus" blog by stating that I am one of the luckiest gals I know. Despite trials, tribulations, distance and hardships I am still blessed with not only the best husband, kids and family but also the best of friends both near and far. I don't always appreciate the ones right in front of me and I don't always give you enough credit but I love you for always being there for me guys. You are all my rocks and without my life wouldn't be complete...NOW go read my sob stories, my poor me's and my attempts at staying sane and try not to laugh or cry to hard :)

Bodega Bay
Well, the hubby and I had some rough times and we decided to take a weekend off to go to Bodega Bay. We stayed in an awesome hotel room and even had an amazing dinner. We had a great view, we went saw deer chillin' out the back window (no I could not get pics) and although we were still at an akward place in our marriage we had a great time. We also went to the beach and hung out, chased seagulls, had random strangers take pics of us and did a lot of talking and reminiscing. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in what is going on that you forgot how you got there. Both good and bad. As we grow with one another in our family, in our relationship and in ourselves I think we are becoming more aware of how much time alone counts and affects things. I mean, really, as you sit at home and worry about homework, bathtime, cooking, laundry, cleaning, play time and then doing add in work, grocery shopping, paying bills and once all that is done add in Softball, ballet, classroom volunteering, back to school nights, time with friends (both kids and our own), birthday parties, baby showers, etc etc, and man, it all adds up and you forget that a date night is mandatory to remember who your partner in crime really is. Its not the calendar you keep so close to your heart and watch (lol) its the person standing right next to you. For us Bodega was a good way to recapture that and get back on track. It didn't happen right away but here we are, happy, open and back on the same page.

Crab Feed:
Holy smokes. It was sketchy, this was also in our akward time in our relationship so although the night didn't go off without a hitch we did have some great times. Not to mention the insane amount of crab RC at and the insane amount of spaghetti I ate. I know I know, who goes to a damn crab feed and fills up on Spaghetti. Well. ME! I am not a big crab eating fool like RC so I did not gorge on that but I did eat about a whole bowl of both spaghetti and bread. haha. I was soo full it was disgusting. I mean, you can totally see my food baby belly in the sweet pic RC got of me dancing with like the hottest person in the place (insert sarcasm here). All in all I am glad we went and I will certainly go back to another crab feed, even if only for the fun stories and awesome second main course. LOL.

Phoenix for work: Okay so my work has been working on how to get my old department motivated again. Without going into detail I will just say that we had a bunch of us "old school" folks from way back when get back in there to shed some light and give some advice on whats missing, what might help etc. WELL I took this as an added opportunity to visit with friends. LET ME TELL YOU, I had a great time. I didn't see everyone as much as I would have liked but at least I saw them a little bit. Alison threw me a great BBQ and I got to drink all night (literally) with some great friends. Can I just say Alison and I each finished off a bottle of vodka. Yeah. I wasn't even hung over the next day, but Alison...well she got to know the bottom of her toilet bowl (and works) pretty well! Good times. I saw so many folks, met many new folks and again, had so many great memories that it made me sad to leave. In fact, it started me up on RC as to why I was so unhappy etc, but I had to remember, that I had at least not lost touch with all those friends. That was the most fun, yet most sad work trip ever. HOWEVER, i will be back in June (thats the plan) with the family to see those friends again and make some more great memories. Although we have friends out here, I just don't always feel like I fit here quite the same. I don't get invited places as often, I hate to impose, I dont have many folks that really want to come up to our place (granted its in NOWHERE land) and I just feel kinda like, i made a life with my friends in AZ and now I am imposing on my friends out here. Its kinda of an odd thought but its how I feel and I am sure it will go away but sometimes my off days make me feel very sad and lonely and like I wont have quite the same friendships that I had in AZ. In fact, lately I feel myself pulling back and keeping to myself more just because I started to feel like the only reason I was being included was due to me shoving myself into situations and now that I'm not I find no one is really around much anymore. Blah. I dont know where I was going with that but currently I am happy with life, I know Im busy and I know my friends are busy so I am sure we will all be back on a similar page at some point, its just sad to know that all my friends are busy but I still tend to be closer to my peeps in AZ. I guess I just wish I had lazy days like I used to. Now my lazy days are alone, with just the kids. Still great, but not quite the same.

Jungle FunWell, speaking of how miserable I feel for myself. I did have a great day with the Snooks. They took us out to some Jungle play place for all the kids to enjoy. It was a bit spendy for what it was and we weren't there for very long but the kids had a blast. I suppose thats a small price to pay :) They had huge tunnels for the bigger kids and the only downside really was that Rian is in that in between age. Wants to play with the big kids in those tunnels but is still the same size as the little kids. I think thats why I didnt see the point. He is only entertained in a tiny ball pit or couple of slides for so long before it gets boring. On the upside, we went to Fuddruckers and Cost Plus World Market (or whatever its called). I got some super sweet cupcake shapers and a cool bday present for my mom, her bday was in April and she loved it. Jungle Fun for the win.

Melodys Baby ShowerMel had her baby shower for her newest addition Teagen who is mentioned later in this blog and it was fun. Met some new folks and then saw some old ones. Its funny, I sit back sometimes and think, wow I have had a friend in my life like Mel for a really long time. We have been around for 12 years. CRAZY. I mean I still didn't win the "who knows me best" contest but then again, who the heck beats the persons mom. Yeah. Right! I had a great time. I said a TINY speech, and I really do hope that we keep in touch more as the months and such go on. I know that the day of that baby shower made me realize how when you leave your friends, you lose touch and its hard to get back in the same place as before. People move on. Its kinda crappy. HOWEVER the day of that baby shower I felt like although we have had ups and downs (as many friends do) I hope that we begin to be around one another more. I hope to see these little men of hers grow up. Congrats Mel to you and the fam. I love you guys.

Potty Training Fail. Nuff Said.

EasterWhat a day. We were sooooo ready to just have a lazy day that I didn't dress up, I didnt really dress up the kids (except for Neya who won't turn down a day to buy a poofy dress) and we just hung out with my parents. In AZ we would have been at the Trojans having silly string fights (yes, I loved their vids on Facebook) but here no one invited us for Easter Egg hunting, no one asked us to hang out or BBQ and its because we aren't engrained in these folks lives like we were in our buddies in AZ lives. We all kinda grew up together in parenthood and work etc. My friends out here have other lives that we arent so intertwined in so its hard to really be sad when you dont get the invite but I do still think those are the days i miss AZ the most. The ones where I know we would have had other plans. The good news is that we had an egg hunt, we had food, we had lots of candy and we ALL had smiles on our faces. In fact I think my parents were glad to have yet another holiday with the kiddos around. Makes them smile. Makes me smile. Did I even mention how happy I am to BE BACK just for those days. I know I can be a downer and mention the times I miss in AZ but honestly, being back has also been really great. We do have great friends out here, its just hard to really get together, we are ALL so busy (especially us). Easter was a good time, and we are still trying to eat up some of that easter candy!

Pat's RunOkay. Let me just start this by saying. When I signed up I really thought I was going to be running a half marathon a month and a half after the Pat's RUn. Boy was I mistaken. As soon as we moved into our own place life took over. Softball started, unpacking started, homework became crazy, work especially became crazy and before you know it, the treadmill I borrowed turned into a damn clothes hanger. UGH! I ran about 4 of the 4.2 miles and walked the other .2. What an embarrassment. The good news is that its for a good cause, I still ran, I didn't die and i will just have to do better next year. There were about 70 people and I would say about 50 of them were all in the military and/or freshly out. I was in a league WAY different than those folks but at least I wasn't the last one to run in. haha. I made it in 48 minutes and I'm not sure that beats last years but again, I made it. Thats all that matters!

Neya's BirthdayShe turned 7. She got spoild. The end. haha. Just kidding. She did great. She was pretty sweet on her birthday and even before it. We got to use a jump house, we had a pinata, we had a great cake, thanks to Lauren and it even tasted yummy. My parents let us have it at their house. Thank goodness cause I'm not sure all those folks would have enjoyed coming up to our house in the Highlands. We had a BBQ and RC even got to participate in the party. Mostly due to it being so low key. We had the key friends and fam show up and although we missed Gma Jackie and Gpa Rudy as they were in Colorado we still got presents from them later. After all, at 7, that is all you are worried about. Neya was all girl and we even had some little boys at the princess party. Pretty priceless. As my kids get older I have to stop and remember they won't be cute and lovey for long so I need to take advantage of it. Being a working mom of 3 you often look over the sweet moments. I am working on this. Hopefully I get better. I love Laneya, I am glad she is who she is and I am glad she is as spunky and smart allicky as she is as well. I wouldnt change her for the world, but I may consider whoopin' her every now and again. teehee. I kid I kid. Or do I!

Grandpa Rich VisitMy step-dad (ex step dad technically) still keeps in touch with me and the kids. He has been a part of my life as long as I can remember as him and Frances (my mom) were neighbors long before they were married and I think that if he up and left my life would be missing a big piece. He is the only other Grandpa Carina and the other kids really knows on my side so its nice to have him still be around. He remembers birthdays, anniversaries and calls at all the right times, when you feel down and out or when I just need to chit chat. We get along great and I am so lucky to have him around still.

Softballbusy. Busy. BUSY.
That is the only way to explain it. Carina started the season unable to hit a ball, catch a ball or know even which base was which. Now she is soo much better and although she still struggles at hustling or really focusing she had made her mommy proud. Each time she makes a great play, a terrible play, or even when she just cheers on her team I know she is happy and that in itself makes me smile. I am proud to have her as my kid and I am even happier that we get to have just one more common interest. NOW if we can just get her coach to do more than just bunting with her. Hehe. We are going to get her with a batting coach, just so she feels more confident and hopefully in the fall season she will show much improvement. I am excited for her.

Heart Doctor VisitI started this day in the worst mood. I realize now that I am on pins and needs every time these appointments get close. I see Rian EVERY day. He is healthy, he is huge, he is smart and he is constantly growing and changing. All these things point to great things but somehow these darn doctors appointments make me focus on the amount of times we have been at the doctor, how many nights I have stayed up for a fever or questioned pink eye or ANYTHING. We went in with high hopes and we left with smiles. They gave us great news, Rian did GREAT, he even had his Cars get their EKG done (i know, how silly) but all in all it was great. They did tell us that as he gets older, if he does sports he will need more extensive tests done, Cat Scans, MRI's, etc just to make sure that all his parts are still working and that nothing surprises us. The doc informed us that because Rian was born with some "heart racing" as I like to call it and couldnt control it without his meds for those first few months, he will be banned from Caffeine forever. NOT that it will come back, in fact after the age of 1 its RARE that it could ever come back but to be safe and not give it cause to come back he warned us that Coffee, Energy drinks, soda, ice tea and even to much chocolate are not good for him. We can't give him any allergy meds with a -D and we have to watch his intake on other meds as well for Acetaminophen. Looks like he will have to be a Motrin baby, not a Tylenol baby. So far thats what we use anyways. Its just a quick step back into reality that although all signs show a healthy energetic toddler, he is still fragile. BUT before I start crying I will leave it at...Our doc said to come back in a year and no sooner. That Rian is FINE! Thumbs up!

Mothers DayPhew. 11 years. Thats how long I have been a mom. It hit me the other day that all my babies are getting older. It also hit me that I have had my really crappy mommy moments and I have had my really GREAT mommy moments but in the end I still love all my kiddos endlessly. Doesnt ALL make it sound like I have about a zillion. I mean it's no joke having 3 kids. Life will never be busier but I also love them a trillion times more than I thought I could ever love a human being. They test me, they try me, they argue with me and then they love on me, cuddle me and give me those ever so evil "i love you mommmy" eyes that always end with a sentence like "can I have this" or "i just need a few dollars". Haha. Mothering is a job I wish every one could go through but I also have friends who haven't been able to experience it as easily. My heart goes out to them and I will end this post by saying...

Being a mother is not measured solely by the number of hearts you have created, but also by the number of hearts you have touched.

Hiatus Part 2...Videos

Wow. I know. First you get pics. Then you get videos. WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON. No there has not been a shift. No tomorrow is not the end of the world, well at least not per the interwebz, and we all know the interwebz always tell the truth and most up to date news info. No I am not losing my mind.

YES I am excited to be back to blogging. Life would be nothing without my blogs and although I have kept up with reading I have been a horrible blogger.

So now. Some videos.

This one is of Rian babbling outside one day. He was talking away and to you it may not sound like much but hey, its a lot to us. He of course STOPPED talking as soon as I brought the camera out so I had to ask questions, random I know but GOSH I swear he does talk!


This one is of Carina running in her first homerun. I know I know. Silly but SERIOUSLY every time she was on 3rd and had the chance to run home, it would be on the 3rd out of the inning (always called at 1st base) and she would never get a scoring run. SO this is her first official...SCORING homerun!


A quick video of Ryan and Narn's sweet bowling skills. I had to post this!


My dad is teaching Mexican Folk Dancing (Baile Folklorico) at the local community college and on Mothers Day we went and watched a few dances done by him and a couple of his students at a local restaurant (yes I noticed that I said "local" about a billion times). I hope you enjoy as he has worked really hard. In the video of the solo dancer...that's my dad! Teehee.

Hiatus Part 1...Pictures

Hiatus. Thats me and thats where I have been. I was on a blogging hiatus (sad). Really it was more of a hiatus from anything even somewhat resembling a normal life. let me tell you. It all took over. Life that is. In fact I don't even remember the last time I posted a good post so to make up for it I will post 1 or 2 pics (maybe 5 or 10 haha) from each event we have been to the last few MONTHS. Gasp. Could be quite a giant post. I will title each one and hopefully this will catch you up! Man I stink at this whole blogging thing right now but I am going to try and get it back together or else not only will be sanity be slightly less in tact than it currently is but my photo taking will also continue to take a back seat. As you can tell my pics have gotten slightly amateurish with the busy life but hey, I wasn't a pro to begin with so spare me the evil side glances whilst viewing highlights of our last few months. LOL.

So after I post all these pics some will of course require explanation so I will post a part 2 with some blurbs. Hopefully your head doesn't explain from Hernandez Clan data overload. Although we have been super busy I really hope you have missed us and are excited to have me back in the bloggin universe! Lord knows I am happy to be back!!!

January

Bodega Bay

This is the Church from the Alfred Hitcock movie "The Birds"

Crab Feed at The Moose (yeah I got down...)




Some Random January Silliness...







February

Baby Carlos' 1st Birthday


Grandma Jackies Birthday


Visit to Phoenix for Work






March

Guitar Hero Night





"Jungle Fun" with the Snooks









Melody's Baby Shower for Teagen Fox




2nd Attempt at Potty Training: We tried. We failed.




Some March Randomness :)




April

Happy Easter!!!













Pat's Run "Shadow Run"in San Francisco






Neya's 7th Birthday







Grandpa Rich's Visit & Carina's first WIN on her Softball Team






Scott's Birthday (yeah...I made those cupcakes!)





Beginning of the Softball Season :)





Teagen Fox "Birth"day!




May

Rico's Birthday





Rian's most recent visit to the Heart Doctor. Doc, Lightning and Mater got to get checked up as well (notice the fancy EKG Stickers)!



And to save the best for last, here are a few pics from Mothers Day :)