Weekend of FUN!!! 5-16

I know that we are a very busy family, but this last weekend will for sure go into the record books!! We did it ALL and survived. Derek came when he could , so I think that was the only way I really survived!! Start...playdate with Auntie Suzie & Connor (wed).. playdate/lunch with Auntie Sara 2 & Madison, then Papa D came over (thursday).. lunch for Becky's 29th birthday at Olive Garden with the kids and her mom Mrs. Hansen followed by Kyle Parker's 30th b-day dinner at Bari Bari (friday)..Johanna's graduation party (3 hours in traffic there, 2 back) at El Torito followed by Dave Z's joint 30th b-day party with his Aunt 60th Judy, followed by our friends Al & Melissa son Christophers b-day party (saturday)...end!!! Throw in errands, naptime, & cleaning what you get is a very busy few days!!! WE WOULD NOT HAVE IT ANYOTHER WAY. We love to do all of this and happy that everyone loves to see us and the kids. Thanks again for a lovely weekend.

Johanna Graduates from CLU!!

Johanna Graduates from CLU!! On Saturday May 17th Jo graduated from California Lutheran University with a degree in HISTORY! After the graduation (which we did not attend) there was a lunch fiesta for Jo at EL Torito, also in the Thousand Oaks. We had a very nice time even though it was in the 100's! Good job Jo and know this, we are very proud of you and love you very much.

Mommy Day

On my third Mother's Day we did not do much! We walked to the cirlce, had an early lunch, went to my mom's house where we had another lunch, then headed home. The kids were good all day long and even went to bed without much of a fuss..they never do anyways. We hope that all of the mommies we know had a very good day and know that we love you and thought about you:)

Suzie's Baby Shower

On the 4th of May Suzie had her baby shower to honor herself and Hannah. It was thrown by all of the Aunties and Grandma's. It was a beautiful day (a little windy) and the seeting was great. It weas held down the street from our house at the French Estate. Suzie and Hannah recieved many gifts ranging from keepsakes, clothes to hair things and Super women flip flops. Thanks to all that helped with the shower and for those that were able to attend. It was a fun day and I know that day got Suzie extremely excited about setting up Hannah's room and getting her clothes ready!!

To all of the MOMMY'S out there!

Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on.Pooped on.Chewed on.Peed on.I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.I slept all night. Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.Or give shots.I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before I was a Mom,I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom. Before I was a Mom,I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy. Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Emma & Her Eye!

On Wednesday we went to Emma's follow up appointment for her eye. Dr. Ching took out her stitches and gave the go ahead for normal activity, just make sure she does not hit it:) We have to go back in three months just to make sure that there is no re-growth. Dr. Ching was a very nice man who said, "it was much better than I thought." We thank not only Dr. Ching, but his staff, CHOC and St Jude!

Grandma is 75!

Man-o-man I wish I could have gone backeast to see my dear grandma turn 75!! On Saturday my dad's side of the family got together in Athol, Ma for a surprise party for my grandma. Patty flew from NC and my dad (Chuck) flew from San Diego. My grandma was very happy to have the people that she loves the most in her life all under one roof and to quote her, "I was just so happy all of my kids got together for the first time in 6 years!" This is just one of the many pictures that were taken and with my Grandfather looking down on us all I think about is, "I miss my family." (starting sitting from left to right then standing left to right- Uncle Stuart, Grandma, Auntie Karen, Uncle Jimmy, Charles (dad) Auntie Kim, & Uncle Scott)

MS Walk 2008

I have always wanted to do some sort of walk/run to help raise money for a cause. I had the opportunity to participate in my very first walk this past Saturday with both kids and good friends. The Hansen's are very sweet people who have two family members suffering from MS, so we could not pass up walking with them to help not only them, but others with MS. Drew, Emma, and I all had a great time! It was a 2 mile walk on the campus of UCI, very hot, lots of music & water, and a ton of people! We had a great time and I hope next year Derek can join us:)

4 Birthday Parties Into One!

On Sunday we celebrated Sara, Auntie Deb, Claire and Sandra b-days. It was a record 104 degrees outside, so we stayed inside with it very dark and the air conditioning set at the lowest it would go! We had a great time outside once the the weather cooled down playing horseshoes and NANA (sandra, mom) made the very first 'ringer' in the pit...Derek denys this!

Emma's Surgery

Emma made it through her surgery!! Derek and I just wanted to say thank you for all of the love, support and prayers for Em and us. Just to know that everyone was thinking about us was extremely important and made the day much easier than expected! So here is how it went.... My mom came at 5:45am with COFFEE!! She stayed with Drew while he slept & Derek and I went to the Surgery center with baby Emma. Her operation was at 7:45 & all seemed to be going well with her..she was in a great mood and all of the nurses LOVED her, she was just sooo dang happy....until they started to put the IV in! All I have to say is thank goodness Em was asleep when they tried to put the IV in because they tried for almost an hour to get it! They never got one in her, but since it had been an hour with her under they did the surgery anyways. The cyst was actually growing into the bone which meant that a surgery that was suppose to take 30min actually took 2 hours!! She woke up crying and of course that was very hard for Derek and I. We got home and Nana held her for a long time! Ahhh NANA IS THE BEST!

Easter!!!

Easter!! A day not just for the Easter bunny and candy, but a day to remember God and Jesus. After church or should I say sitting in the cry room the entire time, we went to nana and papa 'B' where Hailee, Tyler, & Emma were. I hid some eggs filled with candy and off they went to find eggs, but I hid them so well that even I had a hard time finding the ones that they could not find!:) We had Easter lunch, listened to Janis Joplin on the record player (Brian loves that thing), watched golf and watched the kids play. After awhile we headed to Grandma Linda's house for another egg hunt and lots of yummy food. The kids LOVE it there and grandma is getting pretty good a making Drew her 'Friend.' We had a great day & we hope that all of you did too:)

Auntie Michelle's 35th B-day!

We went to Heros for Auntie Michelle's b-day (on the 23rd of march) and had lots of food and fun!! For those of you who do not know where or what Heros is... it is a restaurant where you can throw peanut shells on the floor, watch t.v., portion sizes are huge, lights are everywhere and there is always a ton of people. We had fun celebrating Auntie Michelle's 35th b-day and can not wait to do it again next year!! Oh yeah, Drew followed his Gradma Linda into the bathroom and when she turned around to shut the stall door she went 'oh andrew!!" He is getting so quick!

March!

We had SOOOO much stuff go on the the month of March that if I tried to post everything we did, it would take me forever! There was Saint Pat's Day, we got to hang out at Tom's Farm with Madi and Sara 2, Connor came and hung out for a night, Aunt Michell's b-day, Easter (lots of going to church), Emma had her surgery, Derek's dad had his surgery to help him walk, & Auntie Patty came into town!!! So here are a few pictures to look at:)

Cousin's Hanging out!

After one of Tyler's soccer games Hailee and Ty came and spent the night with us!! We hang out in the front, went for a walk to see the CHOOCHOO, walked to Zitos for pizza, hand ice cream, ate popcorn, all followed by a bath with ALL 4 of the kids! It was soooo much fun to have all of them together with Ty giving Emma kisses, Hailee wrestling with Drew and calling him 'big head,' & of course all of them having fun playing with BoBo (aka daddy, Derek). Derek and I remember the days when Tyler was little and Hailee would wear dresses and think, "where did the time go!" Tyler is 8 and Hailee 6, they can read, are good at everything they do, Hailee loves to say 'whatever' to her brother, Tyler is still that sweet little boy, & WE LOVE THEM!

Fun at the Park

Emma and I made a trip up the hill to The Irvine Park on Sunday for an Easter egg hunt, train ride and fun time with the Hansen and Calagna Families. Drew did not come with us (we missed him), but we still had a great time looking at the horses & riding the train. We played pass the baby & listened to Emma talka..talka..talka. It was a beautiful day with a ton of kids and lots of candy. Next year will be so much fun with both drew, bella & emma bigger!